Forgotten Vows
by Galerians
Summary: He never forgets his vow, even if he is forgotten by those he cherishes the most. Now he returns to fulfill it, even if he knows that death await... Attention, chapter 8 contains lime, read with caution!
1. Chapter 1

You know, seeing that there are so many OC fanfic in this section, I just have to make one too! And it feels so damn refreshing! I guess I really like making an OC!

The vast and huge universe of Negima also helped in the making, as almost any kind of character will (nah, not every) fit to the story! But yeah, I made it, but I beg you, don't sue me!

Please read, and if you're interested in the continuation, please do comment!

•

_Promise_

"Oh my God, I'm late! I'm late!"

"For Myriad's sake, please be calm in such early morning, Asuna-san…!" exclaimed a red haired boy whilst eating his English style breakfast, egg and bacon. "You're a girl, so please act more like one…"

"I can't help it, I'm late for the paper delivery job!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed as she wore her uniform complete with a jacket, throwing her arms into the sleeve of the thick garment. She snatched some food from the table before scramming out the room. "Well then, see ya in class, Negi!"

"Really, she really needs to learn how a lady should act…" mumbled the prodigy after he finished munching and gulping his food. Why prodigy? Because he was a teacher in an all girls' school, despite being only ten years old, and he had been doing it for more than a month now.

"Now, now, Negi-kun, if she doesn't act like that, she wouldn't be Asuna anymore, yes?"

"But I really think she needs to be more like you, Konoka-san," said the boy while sighed in exasperation. "A ladylike demeanor like what you have is a must if she wants to become a lady, or at least a respectful woman in the future…"

"**He he he, if only you knew, Negi-kun…"** the raven haired girl muttered quietly inside her mind, as she began to do the messy bed which was the only leftover of Asuna this morning. **"To be honest, when I was little, I didn't really act so girly and feminine like this. In fact, I was almost tomboy…"**

She began to recall her long kept memory, the moment when she was still six. It was then that she would run around the courtyard, chased by the employees and maids of her Konoe household. She only giggled in happiness, while her protectors were all in frenzy, usually because she hid in the bush or other well hidden places.

It was then that her father would step forward to find her, and he always succeeded no matter how or where she covered herself, the only reason her father confessed was that parents were always able to find their child, no matter how well the stealth being used. She would only grumble or pouted at her father's statement, yet still snuggled herself into his strong arms, after all, she liked being spoiled by her parents so much.

"Konoka…"

The soft voice of her mother was almost like a feather floating in air. She now sat in the veranda of their huge house, waiting her husband and child to come to her. She had long hairs, and the length reached her hips, shiny of its smooth and silkiness. She really resembled her daughter in many ways, but only a much older figure with beauty which had ripened and blossomed perfectly, it was breathtaking for anyone who laid their sight on her.

"Why do you always act so wild?"

"I'm not wild!" she exclaimed angrily. "Moreover, what's wrong to be active?!"

"But you're a girl…"

"If being a girl means I must be feminine, then I want to be boy instead!"

"Hey, Konoka, don't talk like that to your mother…!" his father quickly remarked, but his wife only pulled her index finger to lips, implying him to just let her do the discussion.

"But Konoka, you're already a girl. You can't change into a boy anymore…" the woman approached her only daughter, and petted her head with love. "Being a girl doesn't always frustrating, you know."

The little girl pointed her eyes to the kind face of her mother, now feeling a bit guilty for screaming out loud to a person who gave birth to her.

"But, Mother…"

"Don't complain, my little maiden. If you do, it will become harder to accept who you are."

"Hnh…" Konoka grunted with a pout, yet nodded afterwards. "Okay…"

"Hey, cheer up…" her father finally resigned from his silence, now approaching his family with a smile. "You know what? Tomorrow, you'll have a new friend."

"Really?! Who…?!"

"Well, let's just see later."

Her father's words had become true, and she found herself a little cute girl of her age with a side ponytail. Before long, they were on the backyard, playing ball or tag, letting out happy giggles or screams. But seeing her acted and talked, Konoka could know just how refined the other girl was, and the fact that she herself wasn't, it embarrassed the long haired girl. That was why, only after she met this girl was she finally convinced that a girl really should be feminine.

"**But…"** she stopped reminiscing, something was bothering her. **"Was it really that time that I decided to change…?"**

She pondered for long, yet somehow couldn't find any immediate answer. She was sure that there was another reason, a stronger impulse which changed her from the rash and harsh girl into what she was now, but she couldn't bring herself to recall what it was.

"**Nah, I should put it aside for now…"** she thought, continuing her deed to make Asuna bed.

•••

"Secchan, want to come along?!" asked a raven haired girl, eyes flashing sparkles in an almost pleading look. "I want to go to karaoke with Asuna and Negi this afternoon, I would love it if you joines!"

"Ahem, but… Ojou-sama…" the girl with side ponytail answered in slight tone of hesitation, but thankful nonetheless. "Thank you for the offer, but I… really need to go somewhere…"

"Where~?" the other girl asked with pout on her face, and it was surprisingly cute for any male outsiders who passed them, as they earned a glare from the swordswoman. "Couldn't you just skip it?"

"I don't think so, after all, this is your grandfather who summoned me," the kendo woman sighed, clearly disappointed that she had to decline this rare opportunity. "I assume it is not wise to be late, so if you excuse me…"

"Ah, then I'll wait…!" exclaimed Konoka from afar. "I'll wait till you return, Secchan…!"

An amused smile was hidden from the long haired girl, but it was transparent to anyone who passed the young swordswoman. She raised her head, and whispered silently as if to herself.

"Yes, I shall be back shortly, Kono-chan…"

At the office of the dean of Mahora Academy, Setsuna stood idly. She waited impatiently, for the urge to return at a certain long haired girl had completely filled all corners of her heart. But it seemed the super old man in front of her was really taking his sweetest time, as he kept silent for 5 minutes or so.

"So, Setsuna, how is school?"

"Eh? Um…" Setsuna stuttered, the question caught her in a surprise. "Um, how can I say it…? It has been… enjoyable?"

"Hm, then, how about Konoka?" the man with horrendously long white beard flung out another question, this time facing her. "Is she doing well?"

"Yes, I can certainly assure you of that."

"Good…" the old man sighed, and Setsuna began to wonder what was in his mind, as it seemed to strain him in such a good extent. "Actually, I summoned you here for a request of mine…"

"What could it possibly be, Headmaster?"

"You already know just how strong Konoka's magic power, I assume?" Setsuna simply nodded to reply his statement. "And unfortunately, there is a problem regarding that matter…"

"What?" Setsuna's voice's volume rose in an instant. "What problem?"

"You see, I got a warning from the west, Kansai Magic Association…" he stopped mid-sentence, and again, gave another of his heavy sighs. "It states, that a large number of demons is heading our way…"

"What?! For what reason?!"

"It seems they want our Konoka…" the man stare at the black orbs of the swordswoman. "Somehow, I think their intention is not so pleasant…"

"Then, what are we gonna do?"

"That is why I called you here at this moment," he stood up, and stretched his right hand forward as if giving an order. "Setsuna Sakurazaki, from now on, I want you to become the personal bodyguard of my granddaughter, Konoka Konoe. Do you comply?"

"Y-yes, certainly I do!" she responded in a flash, now thinking only of her cheerful friend. "You won't have to worry, I will sacrifice my life to protect her if I must!"

"That is a relief for me," yet somehow, a little anxiety still lingered in his old eyes. "But, no matter how strong you are, dealing with vicious demons will prove to be not an easy task. And even if I launched all the magic teachers in this school, somehow I still figure it won't suffice…"

"But then, what will you do?"

"Have no worries, I have taken a premature caution," he sat on his chair again, as he rested his chin on the joined hands upon the table. "Today, another bodyguard will also come from Osaka. He will be an addition in Konoka's protection attempt…"

"I see…" the young girl nodded, but something in his sentence caught her attention. "Wait… 'he'?"

•••

"That karaoke is a bust!!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed in joy. "They have such a good collections of songs!"

"I do agree," muttered a red haired child beside her, rubbing his chin an admiration. "Their sound system is great, we really should go there more often."

"Yeah, and to think that Setsuna here has a really good voice!" complemented the most cheerful girl there, and it made a blush an obvious one on the other girl's face. "Her voice is like an angel!"

"Now I can't deny that!" the young maiden with bell on her ribbons chimed gleefully, patting her friend's back who clumsily rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Mellow songs really fit you well! Hey, I think you can be an idol with that magnificent voice of yours!"

"A-Asuna-san, please don't flatter me too much…" Setsuna responded shyly, this rain of compliments wasn't something she could handle too well. "Really, if you need to be surprised, you should look at Negi-sensei. He sang so well for his age."

"I certainly agree with Secchan!" this time, the blush belonged to the prodigy. "Where did you learn to sing, Negi-kun?"

"Well, you know, back in Wales. Nekane-neechan really liked to sing whenever we had baths, so I guess I learned from her…"

"Oh, I see…" nodded the heterochromatic girl, but something perked her mind. "Wait, 'bath'? You bathed together with your sister?!"

"Ah, no, that…" the young child really regretted his choice of words previously, as he began to writhe under the pressing glare of his pigtailed student. "I-really-need-to-go-to-bathroom-so-bye!"

"Wait! Negi! You're gonna have to explain that!" the reddish haired girl shouted, but realized that her teacher was already running away from her group. "Come back here! NOW!"

"They sure are happy…" mumbled Konoka under her nose. "Playing tag is fun…"

"Um, I don't really think they're playing tag, Ojou-sama…" the girl with nodachi spoke in pity. "From my eyes, it seems like a beast chasing its prey…"

"Hahaha, true enough…"

It was then that the pigtailed girl stopped her chase, as she explored her clothes' pocket with her hands. A doom certainly fell to her lovely face.

"Wait, where is my wallet?!" she once again searched her garments. "It's gone!!"

"What?!" the young man quickly approached her, as she gave him a grimacing look. "Did someone steal it?!"

"Calm down, maybe you dropped it…" said Konoka with a calming smile. "Why don't you check the karaoke, maybe you left it there…"

"Ah, that's so true!" she clapped her arms in relief. "Well then, I shall check it! Konoka, you can go home first!"

"Ah, Asuna-san, I'll go with you!"

As the certain prodigy child teacher and the rash teenage girl went on their way, Konoka simply glanced at her only companion and motioned with her head, implying that they should went home.

"Secchan," the girl spoke after being silent for a fairly amount of time. "Do you remember our childhood?"

"Ah, yes, Ojou-sama," she quickly replied, but kept her eye out for anything beside ordinary. After all, she did have taken the warning from Mahora's Headmaster quite clearly. "Why are you…?"

"Long ago, we played tag just like Asuna and Negi did, didn't we…?" her face dropped and a small yet doubtful smile appeared on her lips. "I'm meaning to ask you something. Did we play tag… with just us two together?"

"Eh…?" this statement perked something in Setsuna's brain. She recalled the memory, and yes, if her memory served her well, then it would state that it wasn't just the two of them. "No, I don't… think so…"

"Then who is it?" Konoka asked, somewhat a sadness was hidden in her tone. "I can't remember, Secchan. I don't know why, but I can't recall who he is…"

"Wait… 'he'?" it saddened Setsuna, but she really didn't remember either. Their memory was so vague, even if they could certainly say that there was another person, even his name was obscure. But Konoka's word—again—stimulated Setsuna's brain's memory capacitor, as she began to recall the guy's figure.

It was then that her thoughts were interrupted.

•••

"Ojou-sama, over here!"

"Secchan, what are they?!"

"They're demons, but please pay more attention at running for this moment!"

With number exceeded tens, their assailants flanked both their sides and behind, screaming in a horrifying high-pitched voice, the kind of scream you only heard in a midnight horror movies. This timing couldn't be worse, for their location was far from the headquarters of Mahora and these demons were the kind that able to disguise their aura, thus making them almost unnoticeable to many beings, even magicians and sorcerers alike.

The fact that they were surrounded also offered no help to ease Setsuna's mind, and from their previous clash, she knew that these demons were strong, almost superior in the terms of power. Their magnificent formation also had Setsuna curious about if they had an intelligent minded leader of some sort.

Yes, they might have that, and the proof was how they could direct the two girls into a dead end. With the demons outnumbered her, she seemed to have let her guards down and threatened to be defeated. This time, she would pay dearly for her stupidity.

"You demons may be strong, but I certainly will not allow you to graze even the slightest touch on Ojou-sama!"

She roared in fierce voice, drawing her trustful sword named Yuunagi to the damp air. A blocked slice proved her statement about her enemies being strong, but she could not fall into desperation, she must stay calm.

"Shinmeiryuu Ougi!!" she jumped about three meters off the ground, preparing her nodachi horizontally. "Hyakuretsu Okazan!!"

At least five demons were slaughtered by the technique, but their number seemed to not even decreasing, in fact it was increasing.

That was when Setsuna glanced upward, and she could see that instead her and Konoka, the demons had their reinforcement. Every so often, another demon would arrive, either walking or flying replacing the one she beat. Now, almost all roof, road, and walls were crawled by the sheer number of black creatures, each looking at the girls as if they were preys.

"Secchan…" a whisper came from behind her. As she turned around, a teary-eyed Konoka was what she had to face. "I'm scared…"

In fact, she was scared also, but she could not let it be shown to her Ojou-sama. How could she not be scared? It was now clear that this fight wouldn't end in her favor, for she was outnumbered, in a great deal. And she had been fighting for half an hour, for any logical excuses in this world, the fight had exhausted her.

"Guhak!"

But while she was thinking, her enemies were acting. When she was lost in thoughts, one of the demons reached forward and gave a nice, powerful punch to her abdomen, sending her flung onto the wall which slightly crumbled from the heavy impact.

"Secchan!!"

The other girl quickly helped her, but the swordswoman had nearly nothing left in her energy reserve. The damage done to her body compelled her legs to tremble violently, yet the will to continue fighting also assisted in her way to stand up. Finally, even if she needed to cling into her Yuunagi, she was able to stand up again, ready to fight once more.

"Stop this right now," a voice came from amongst the devils. "Stop fighting, girl…"

"What…?"

"We won't kill you if you surrender," the one who spoke was a quite small sized demon compared to others, his size was only around human level, with height around 190 cm.

But it was obvious to Setsuna's eyes, that this demon held the highest rank among his brethren. The force coming from him was overwhelming, and if only she wasn't able to keep her composure, she would have fainted due to the strong pressure.

"And what do you want in change?"

"Not so much, we just want that girl…" he pointed at the frightened Konoka, as she slightly cried her tears, for the fear was tremendous. "Just surrender her, and we shall let you live."

"Let me think about it…" said Setsuna with a cynical smirk, bracing herself to her doom. "What about… no?"

"And… may I ask for what reason?"

"It's a promise of mine," she still replied despite being in pain. "A promise to Ojou-sama, to myself… and someone important…"

"Then you shall die, here and now," he raised a hand, and the army in his rear stiffened. "Attack."

Setsuna had closed her eyes a few seconds before, accepting that death might be granted to her this time in the form of demons' fists. But the awaited hit never came, and as confused as she was, another surprise awaited her when she opened her eyelids.

A figure of a young man in his late sixteen was standing before her, holding the fist of the biggest demon present. He merely did a somewhat seemed light punch to the gigantic clenched hand, but it was enough for it to retreat back to its previous position. And while the tow girls looked in awe, he turned his face slightly, letting the two to see the view of him.

His body is not immensely big, in fact it was rather slim if not thin, with height around 170-180 cm. The young man sported all black attires, with black and seemed heavy traveling coat on the outside, and a tight, long sleeved shirt on the inside. The jeans he was wearing also black in color, and the color just kept down to his shoes. Seeing that his hairs were also black, this boy looked almost just the same as the demons he was facing except for his pale yet slightly tan skin… and his eyes.

They were brilliant golden.

"I thank you for holding out this long," he murmured, almost a whisper than a talk. "You have really gotten strong, Setsuna…"

"H-huh…?" she was only able to stutter that. "Wha…? Who…?"

"Now it's my turn…" he bowed down to grab the hilt of Yuunagi, which had fallen from Setsuna's hand a while ago. "You have done well, let me do the rest…"

"Who in the damned world are you?!" shouted the leader, black eyes glaring at his new lone opponent.

"No one, just a helper…"

"Do you really think you can save these girls?!"

"No," he simply stated. "Now that I'm here, they don't need protection anymore."

"What?!"

"For I will," he took a stance, the tip of his blade facing the sky. "Diminish your number into nothing."

The words pierced the horde of demons like a fatal stab, he wasn't boasting and no overconfidence was shown in his voice. Because he simply implied that he was not only going to, but also capable of doing it.

"You guys don't deserve the use of Shinmeiryuu Ougi…" he said as his nodachi began to glow white. "Only a simple technique such as this would suffice…"

"!!" the demons' bodies began to stiffen, their leader held his hand up to give motion. "A-attack him!"

"Kaze no Ryuu," he said, not even fazed at the near-coming attack. "Kamaitachi."

A whirl of cyclone came around the sword, it kept swirling and swirling until he shot it towards the unworldly creatures. The gust of mighty wind cutter went its way forward, slicing more than 7 demons in its wake. And as a matter of fact, he also cleared the road as other demons jumped high to avoid getting slaughtered by his so called simple technique.

"What the hell was that?!" shouted one of them, landing himself above the nearest and highest roof, his voice hid a tone of fear. "That was too strong for a simple wind based technique!"

"Do you think so?"

The demon was startled to his very core, as the questioned swordsman just spitted his words not even a half meter from him. His white eyes widened in shock, but it was only for a moment as the very second later his body was cut in half vertically. The leftover fell on the roof's floor, and it began to dissipate into nothingness.

"I-I can't see his movement…!"

"He's too damn quick!!"

"W-where is he— GYAAH!!"

The annihilation of his horde had his black eyes widened, not in many centuries would he thought that his brethren could be destroyed in mere minutes. They had scattered to four winds direction, yet he could still hear certain and obvious screams from almost anywhere, implying that every now and then, one of his minions was either cut in half, dismembered, or minced to little pieces.

Soon, all the screams vanished, leaving the world back to its quiet darkness. It implied that no other demon was alive anymore, and that he became the only demon left in this vast place. However, this had his blood boiling, and to his satisfaction, the killer of all his squad appeared in a flash, bowing before him.

"I have to apologize," he said while straightening his back. "But if you yield now, I will let you go."

"Don't even dream of it…" the black eyed demon hissed in annoyance, obviously couldn't keep his cool. "You slaughtered my whole teammates, and you expect me to fall on my knees and beg for your apology?"

"Of course not," the young man in black shook his head in what seemed understanding manner, yet this only provoked the anger of his present opponent. "Simply retreating back to your nest will suffice, and if you comply, never be back here again."

"LIKE HELL I WOULD!!" the fierce roar had a little surprising effect, as a sad look fell on the young swordsman face. "FACE ME! NOW!!"

"Then I have no choice…" he readied himself once more. "En garde, demon."

"You bet I do!!"

The two leapt and loud clash rang itself among the air. Even if it was invisible to naked eyes, their wind cutting movement was certainly happening at the very moment. A flash of spark that appeared every now and then was also the sign of their constant collision of weapons, and as time went ticking, a certain black figure fell on the rooftop, clutching his right abdomen.

"T-the hell…!!" he gasped, the weird colored blood drew from his open wound. "I have never seen any human being this strong!"

"I am not strong." the voice of his opponent responded briefly, before his body appeared from thin air. "I'm just slightly more powerful than you are, that is all."

"Heh, I bet you do," the demon stood back up, a grin was visible on his face. "You beat me, fair and square. Now kill me."

"But I don't see any need for that…"

"You have killed all my brethren with utmost magnificent skills, and not only have I failed on this mission, you have also beaten me. So please, grant me the honor of dying by your hands," the demon answered calmly, stretching his hand sideward as if getting ready for his demise. "There would be no higher enlightenment, than dying by the hands of the one who beat me."

"I understand," the young man raised his weapon once more, and preparing his vertical slash. "But I must ask again, do you really want this?"

"Yes. You're successful in your mission, and I'm not. This is equal payment," the demon shut his eyes tight, awaiting the Death Angel to come upon him. Ironic. "Kill me."

"Very well, rest in peace."

And he slashed down, cutting the demon in perfect half. He shut his eyes tight when the remains of his opponent body turned to dust and flew away at the softest breeze. He opened his eyes, and joined his hands together.

"Even demon race have heart, and not all of them are evil…" he opened his eyes and gazed at the night sky which bejeweled by white moon. "So please God, forgive me for my sin, and let him be in peace."

He sheathed his sword back, and began walking forward. Just as he reached the end of the roof, his body disappeared like a ghost to the darkness of the night.

•

I will have to apologize to ANYONE if they find my OC being a little too similar with theirs. But I swear this, I made the OC without looking at anyone's creation, he is the embodiment of my own imagination, after all!

Care to see his name? Or see if who or maybe _what _he really is? Well, give me your comment then! I accept any kind of it, be it praise, critic, question, advice, etc! And I don't mind it being so harsh or whatever…

Ja, see you again!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you very much for the reviews, I didn't think that this fic will be quite welcomed among the Negima fanfiction's readers. And thus, here is the present for all that reviewed, new chapter. This chapter was written in a quite slow pace, for the school activities were almost piled up in my agenda, thus I decided to write only when I finished all of them.

Accept my deepest apology if you feel my character feels too Mary Sue (oh yeah, he's a male, so it should be Gary Stu). But I've tried my best to make it not to be so!

Please read it, my dear readers! And please review again!

•

**Introduction**

A girl was running in darkness which seemed to stretch to infinity, no boundary or limitation, neither wall nor ceiling. As if she was cursed to running eternally, escaping something that intended to devour her whole and threatening to consume her soul.

"Hah… hah…"

She panted heavily, the exhaustion didn't falter as it began to weigh her legs down. But she couldn't stop, she mustn't stop. No matter what happened, she must escape, she could never give in to this monstrosity.

But… where to go? Is there even anywhere she can escape to?

She fell on her both knees, her feet had gave ways and finally yielded to their tiredness. She could afford no more steps, yet she could not let herself be stopped. Any how, any way, she must not get caught.

A hand grabbed her right foot was the cue, as she fearfully startled and turned her head in a blinking speed. Black fingers, together with their yellow and sharp claws, clutched to the skin on her ankle, burying their razor incisiveness deep into her flesh. Many eyes, eerie black, daunting yellow, scary red, all shone in the darkness, and the girl could feel that those stares were directed at her, and only her.

An insurmountable amount of fear began to swell, as she tried to crawl away, only to feel herself being pulled back towards the hisses and growls those creatures was making. Tears formed in her eyes as she tried to reach forward, towards any help that wasn't even present. Her voice choked, but she tried it nonetheless.

"H-help…" unknown what the reason was, but she couldn't make any louder voice than a whisper. "Someone, help… please…"

She could feel herself being drawn near whatever creatures that swarmed behind her. Many grunts and hisses sounds were getting closer, she could almost fell the foul and hot breath which came from behind.

She was scared, she was helpless. Even if she was a swordswoman, she was still a girl. At times like this, even a strong and powerful Shinmeiryuu disciple would still need protection. But who can protect her… or to be precise, who is willing to?

Just when she was about to give up hope, the pull ceased by unknown force. The hisses stopped, and there were many grumbles of fear and anxiety, before anything went blank and quiet. Not one creature was left there, only one presence. A warm, calming, and comforting presence.

"Who…?"

Suddenly, her stretched hand was taken by someone in a firmest and warmest grip she had ever felt in the course of her 15 years of life, except one. This hand and the warmth it owned, gave her the most secured feeling ever. She knew that when whoever the person who had this hand was present, no harm shall be done. If there was this person, then she would be in her safest. No matter what would happen, she would never feel any fear.

"It's okay…" that person whispered, it felt so close as if whoever that was whispered right beside her ear. "I'm here…"

•••

"Unh…"

She woke up with a daze, for the surroundings were unknown and unfamiliar to her eyes. She was lying in a bed with a white blanket covered her, the walls were also white, and to be honest, the room itself was mostly engulfed with the color. A realization hit her, this place must be the infirmary.

But she was startled when she saw that two brownish black orbs were staring intently at her.

"Secchan! You woke up!" that long, raven haired girl giggled in joy as she leapt and hugged the infirmary's patient. "Finally, I was getting worried about you!"

"O-o-ojo-ojou-sama?!" she exclaimed in embarrassment at her friend's blunt and quite shameless behavior, but still happy nonetheless for the concern.

"You really got us worried, Setsuna…" another girl's voice spoke, as a pigtailed girl with bells at her ribbons appeared from the curtain that parted the beds. "Though I understand why, fighting demons that many must be really tiring you out…"

"What?" she was confused for a moment, but regained awareness as she recalled the incident of last night. She quickly turned her head towards Konoka, as she grabbed her hands and asked. "Were you alright last night, Ojou-sama?!"

"Well, or course I was," she answered happily. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be standing right here, yes?"

"Thank goodness…"

A surge of relief fell upon her heart, as the weight decreased and her breath felt lighter. When she glanced sideward, her black orbs spotted a long nodachi leaned on the bedside table. With that, a sudden memory of a young man's figure appeared again in her mind, the one who came to save them in the last moment. "Wait a minute, where is that boy?"

"Boy? What boy? Do you mean Negi?" asked Asuna, clearly oblivious at her question.

"No! The boy who saved us last night! Where is he?!"

"Ah, him?" said Konoka as she brought her hand to her chin. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him again since last night…"

"Who is this… _guy_ again?"

"He is the one who came when we were in the tightest pinch last night and defeated all those demons."

"Wow, if he could deal with the demons that even Setsuna couldn't, it certainly means he is strong, doesn't it?"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" a ten years old boy made his entrance to the girls, dressed in his working suit as he walked to the bedside. "Ah, I see that you are awake. How are you, Setsuna-san?"

"I can say that nothing is less from me, hence I'm certainly okay."

"Magnificent," the red haired and young gentleman glanced at his wristwatch. "Well, it looks like I must be going now…"

"Why so hurry, Negi? You're just here." Asuna tilted her head questioningly.

"The principal has something he wants to talk with me about," explained the prodigy. "Something about the demons attacks, and also, he said something about introducing me to a bodyguard summoned from Osaka…"

"What…?" Setsuna quickly snapped, as she got up from her bed, stumbling slightly when she tried to stand straight. "A bodyguard?"

"Yes, principal said he is sent here to protect Konoka-san, and since I'm also part of the team, he wants me to get along with this bodyguard…"

"Hey, then that means we should see him together!" Konoka let out her joyful exclamation, as she snatched both Negi's and Setsuna's hand. "Come on!"

Out of the room, Konoka and Asuna were talking about of just who was this new bodyguard, and how he would look like while running at the corridor. Poor Negi had a little problem in running while being dragged, Setsuna just blushed heavily at the soft grip of the Konoe princess. Yet, a little moment afterward, she somehow questioned, was this the hand that held hers in the dream?

No, it wasn't. This might be equally warm, but it didn't give her the same securing and calming sensation she once felt in that dark world. But then who? Who held her hand back then?

•••

"Grandpa! We bring you Negi-kun!"

They practically just barged into the room, where an old man with ridiculously long white beard was standing in the middle of the room. And to their surprise and excitement, a black figure stood not far from the principal, still like a statue. He still had the exact same clothes as last night, even that traveling coat still hung by his shoulders. He fazed not at the entrance of the four, as he pointed his sight only, and only at his aged contractor.

"Is that you, Konoka? Well I must thank you for bringing Negi here," the principal went to his desk and took a few papers. "Ah, while they're here, why don't you introduce yourself, son?"

"Very well, if it is your wish." answered the guy in black, as he shifted his body direction to the four. And to their surprise, he lowered himself into one knee, kneeling before the lot while bowing his head which only performed by a slave and alike. "Your humblest bodyguard, Wataru Shinozaki, at your service…"

"H-hey, no need to kneel like that," stuttered Konoka, even if she was accustomed with the bowing of all her maid in her home, however, a kneeling was quite a rare feat to perform. "Please raise your head…"

"I'm most grateful at the offer, but I do not deserve such honor…" he said again, still not willing to even raise one centimeter of his head.

"Oh, come on, why do you even need to kneel like that?" said Asuna, obviously not comfortable at what was happening.

"I am but a slave, milady…" he spoke his words, and the strong voice didn't indicate that he would cease his self-disdaining act. "Someone as low as me shouldn't be looking at you in the face, for I would taint your sight at the slightest glance of my look…"

"We won't be tainted! So please, lift your head…!"

After saying that, Konoka quickly approached the young man with her hand extended forward to touch him. However, when her fingers almost grazed his hair, the young man disappeared. All livings that present in the room startled, as the black haired young man reappeared, still kneeling, five feet away from the raven haired Ojou-sama. And it occurred in less than a second, no, even faster.

"Wha…?" Negi was most stunned. "What happened…?"

"Was that Shundou?"

"No…!" exclaimed Setsuna. "That was too fast for a Shundou!"

"My, my, I guess the rumors about you aren't all wrong, are they?" said the principal playfully, but he immediately stopped his joke after received questioning glares from his four subordinates. "That is certainly not an ordinary technique for someone so young, not even the young Thousand Master was able to fully master it at the age of 16 years."

"Thank you, but this lowly creature isn't worthy of any flattery…"

"Raise yourself, Wataru. I want to have this talk to be done face to face."

The young man in black had no more arguments, for he felt that this wasn't a request but an order. He picked himself up, and after some seconds, he finally lifted his face. His stern golden eyes were gleaming even in daylight, and that even if his expression was hard and almost cold (no smile was visible), it took no particular knowledge to know that his face was radiating kindness.

"Please tell me about your skills, or to be exact, your capabilities."

"I have little skill with sword, and slight experience with martial arts. Small compatibility with water and wind, and even if I can also use the two other elements, I am rather weak at it…" he proceeded with his explanation. "One more, my weaknesses are almost countless, so I beg your forgiveness if you find that I am quite useless…"

"What a crude description. But why did you need to lie like that?"

"Pardon? But I was telling you the truth."

"Well, according to these data, which are composed from the reports of your previous clients and also missions…" the old principal took a stare at the papers once again, as he recited the content. "Wataru Shinozaki, a hired bodyguard who starts his job from the age of fourteen. Despite being so young, he never failed even one mission. His general personality is what you would call… shy. Amazingly independent, he is ever seen with neither partner nor back-up, and always accomplishes his missions all on his own. And mostly due to his shyness, he has declined the offer for intensified training at Shinmeiryuu School, and devoted to train with his own style…

"Even if he is best seen with sword, he is capable of fighting with his bare fists, for the possession of selective martial arts and body's ability. His swordsmanship skill isn't something to underestimate, unless you want to be seriously wounded, if not killed. He has showed fair skills in using Shinmeiryuu Ougi, which is said to be learned by mere imitation. Though his main elements are wind and fire, he proved to be able to harness both thunder and water also. However, the most amazing technique he has shown so far is the Absolute Shukuchi, or in other name, Teleportation…"

"What…?!" Negi almost had his jaw fell from its place, hearing the long yet astonishing explanation.

"But… such an ultimate technique…! Even a genius by degree would need many years to fully comprehend the complexity…!" this time, Setsuna voiced her shock. She thrust his sight to the now blushing and embarrassed Wataru, who was looking away at any direction but the girl. "How could he, in such age…!"

"That is why he is respected by many, and desired by the dozens…" the old man with white beard chuckled again, but still, his eyes were flashing interest at the young man who stood before him, as he continued his recital again. "Yet, no matter how strong of a fighter he is, he would still have flaws. Sadly, Wataru's weakness cannot be overlooked by any means…"

The boy in question could only sigh in exasperation, as the others waited for the information.

"He is, literally, too kind. Or more like, too lenient…"

"Wha…?" Konoka was dumbfounded, for she wasn't actually sure of her ears. "Did I hear that just right?"

"Yes, he did say 'lenient'…" repeated Negi.

"But how could that be a weakness?" asked the only double pigtailed girl there.

"He is too lenient, that sometimes he even gives forgiveness at his enemies, even letting them to escape. And sometimes, he doesn't have the heart to kill, even if he is facing the worst demon possible…" the Konoe elder finished his recital, and put the papers again at the desk. "In other words, you often have your kindness misplaced…"

"Yes, you are absolutely right…"

"But that doesn't change your overall skills. After seeing the result of your fight last night, I can definitely trust you with this mission…" he patted the boy's shoulder. "It seems my son-in-law's observation isn't wrong. After all, he was the one who recommended you…"

"Dad did?" asked Konoka, slightly curious at his father's meddling in this business. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, you are his precious daughter, of course he would want the best for you…!" he laughed heartily. "And this young man here is actually one the most trustable persons in the whole Japan to guard your wellbeing…!"

"Please, I once again ask you to not give me any flattery. It is too much, I am not that strong."

"Hahaha, whatever you say, young Wataru!"

"So, my mission starts now?" the young man in black asked. After he received one nod from the peanut headed principal, he quickly turned his body to face the four youngsters once again and fell in one knee again. "Very well, I shall oblige…"

He cocked his head and looked at the two black haired girls. They didn't know what, but there was definitely something hidden in those golden orbs, yet they couldn't put their fingers at it. However, the more they stared, the more they knew that his eyes were radiating… longing. Unfortunately, before they could be convinced, those eyes were shut tight, as their owner opened his mouth and talked.

"I shall not disturb you with this foulest presence of mine anymore. Excuse me…"

Before any 'ah' or 'um' could be said, his black figure already disappeared.

•••

"Wow, who could have guessed that we got a strong new colleague…!" said Asuna in joy, while they were stomping down on the stairs of Mahora Academy. "Though I haven't seen his strength, I can say that he is absolutely something just by looking…!"

"Yeah, even if he has a weird personality…" said Negi as he put one hand under his chin. "He acts like an underling… no, more like a slave…"

"I wonder if he acts like that with everyone, or just us…?" asked the pretty swordswoman, shutting her eyes while rubbing the chin, continuing in her mind only. **"But why do I feel like I've known him?"**

"Hey~, why do we sound like we're badmouthing him~?" chimed the cheerful yet airheaded Ojou-sama. "He's definitely a good person, so we won't have anything to worry about!"

"And from where could you get that conclusion?" asked Negi as if in doubt, for in truth he felt that this new fighter was kinda suspicious.

"Honestly, I don't really know…" confessed Konoka, a little disheartened by that fact as she let her head slightly bowed down in depression. "I… just know."

"…?"

"It's like, I've known him from a long time ago…" she continued, and as she lifted her head, there was something that looked like a longing in her brownish black eyes. "I'm not sure from when, but I know that he is a kind at heart, no matter how he looks…"

"Well, that principal also mentioned about him being too lenient…" Asuna complemented. "I guess he must be really kind. After all, giving your enemies forgiveness isn't something that even _we_ usually do, right? Well, except our stupid Negi here…"

The other two girls chuckled at the statement, while Negi exercised a heavy blush of embarrassment. After that, the topic was temporarily suspended, as they began to talk variant things, from school's business (Asuna's low mark and the previous homework), to what should they eat for the night (Konoka suggested they eat nabe, but her roommate wanted a hotpot). All went happily till they parted at the intersection, Negi and Asuna was going the other way to Eva's house. A little visit from disciple for his master, Negi said, while Setsuna accompanied Konoka on her way to the grocery, to buy daily stuff.

"Secchan, could you wait here? I won't be long."

"Of course, Ojou-sama."

"Mou~, could you please drop that 'Ojou-sama' already?" Konoka went her way and snapped Setsuna's nose lightly. "I want you to call me Kono-chan for a change…"

"B-but, Ojou-sama, that would be inappropriate."

"So being friendly with me is inappropriate…" said the long haired girl with a heavy aura, turning her back as she slightly pout. "Secchan's cruel…"

"Ah, I-I'm, sorry, Ojou-sa—" she stopped abruptly, and while blushing red beet, she continued in a softer tone. "I-I'm sorry, Kono-chan…"

"Yay! Secchan finally calls me Kono-chan!" a quick hug to Setsuna (her face might be boiling this very moment, as a hint of steam was coming out of her ears), and she quickly went down the road. "I'll be back shortly, Secchan!"

The kendo's expert only waved in respond, as any word she wanted to utter became ambiguous and useless, for her mouth actually paralyzed by the warm hug. Still blushing heavily, she leaned to the nearby wall, silently waiting for her friend's return.

•••

"Ojou-sama sure is taking her time…"

The girl with side ponytail murmured, her eyes glancing at the road where her friend had gone into for at least 10 minutes. Not that she objected at the waiting, though. It just that… she felt a tad worried. Because that

"Maybe I should catch up with her…"

She began running down the road, as her black orbs started to search for the beautiful black haired girl. She looked around, but somehow no sign could be found. Konoka wasn't at the road, and when she checked the grocery, not even the strand of her hairs was visible. After wandering for 5 minutes at least, her heart began throbbing in anxiety.

"Ojou-sama, where are you…?"

Suddenly, a glance at the end of the road told her exactly the information she desired. The happy-go-merry girl was standing there, but the swordswoman noticed strangeness at the scene. She was surrounded by three guys, each of them sporting looks much like a delinquent.

"Hello there, pretty girl. What are you doing here alone?"

"Eh, I-I'm…" the girl stuttered, not being able to answer properly due to the fear. "I-I'm just buying daily stuff…"

"Daily stuff, eh? Well, quite a load you bought there…" the other thug, who were big in body's size and wearing a black tank top, glanced at the big sized plastic bag. "You must have much money to buy all that…"

"Yeah, can't you pity us poor folks? And give us money?"

"E-eh, but I can't…"

"What's that?!" the meanest looking thug suddenly grabbed her right wrist, clutching it harshly as the girl squeaked in agony. "You refused to give us money?!"

The swordswoman just couldn't take it anymore, she even readied herself to draw her most trustful sword, Yuunagi, and made her entrance. That… was if someone wasn't already standing there.

"Release her."

"Eh?"

A loud sound of punch was audible as a body quickly fell flat on his face, one or two teeth were visible in the air. The two other delinquent looked at their leader, who was now out cold on the cement ground. They gazed upward and their sight fixed at the attacker, a young man whose clothes were all black, and eyes were golden.

"W-who are you…?!"

"I am but no one. However, if you dare to offend Ojou-sama, I will not stay still," he pulled the girl to his side, wrapping his hand protectively around the dazed maiden. "So please, I ask this now of thee. Leave, or you shall be punished…"

His tone was calm, and the face was void of any emotion. But when they looked closely to his eyes, it was clear that there was fury burning in those very orbs. Frightened by his presence, they decided not to push this matter longer, and fled from the place after picking up their cohort from the ground.

"Ojou-sama…" he turned around to face her, and began to check her body all over. "Are you scared? Is there anything hurt? Did they hit you? There is no wound, right?"

For a moment, Konoka was surprised by the sudden yet excessive concern this young man had for her. His eyes were flashing pure anxiety, and somehow she could feel that he honestly cared for her.

"Wataru…" she called him, who was still busy checking her condition and searching for any wound. Seeing his obliviousness, she once again called. "Wataru."

"Eh? Yes?"

"Thank you…"

Wataru blushed heavily, as the warmth of Konoka's smile infiltrated his body. They stood in silence just like that for a few moments, before something snapped inside the boy's head as he realized something. The bodyguard looked at his hands, which were still holding to the girl's shoulder, before backed out almost instantly.

"A-ah…! Sorry, I apologize for my impudence!!" he quickly shouted as he did his kneeling again. "I beg your pardon for tainting your holy body with this cursed existence!!"

"Why are you always humiliating yourself like that?" asked Konoka as she approached the boy, who slightly shuddered as if struck by electricity.

"Someone with such lowly rank as of mine isn't worthy of any attention…" he answered, still with his firm tone. "As of now, my role is as nothing but your servant…"

"My servant…?" she repeated, then something clicked in her mind like a lamp being lit. "Ah~, then I take it you will obey everything I order?"

"But of course…"

"Then, I want you to become a 'friend'."

"…Pardon?"

"I want us to be in friendly term. Thus, you shall not exercise any of those disturbing acts you've been showing me any longer…"

"B-but, Ojou-sama…"

"I shall take no refusal," she said with tone of finality, but smiling playfully, much to the boy's chagrin. "My first order is… lift your head."

Setsuna was watching from distance, somehow amazed by how her Ojou-sama 'tamed' the guy, who was pretty persistent for his own good. He obeyed the order, lifting his head and showed his face which was still a bit sulky. Nevertheless, the person with opposite gender who stood in front of him only smiled, and that was all it takes to appease the boy.

It was then Setsuna decided to extend a greeting.

"Ojou-sama…! I looked everywhere for you!"

"Ah, Secchan…!" Konoka was overjoyed. "You were looking for me? Aww, that's so sweet…!"

She blushed heavily as Konoka jumped to hug her, giggling while clinging to her neck happily. Past her shoulder, Setsuna saw that the young man's mouth wasn't uttering any word, as he only picked up all Konoka's plastic bags and carried all of them with his right hand only. Konoka realized this, and she released herself but now grabbing the swordswoman's hand, which startled her.

"O-Ojou-sama…!?"

"Hehehe, it has been a long time since we hold hands like this, ne?!" she said happily. But another thing was in her mind also, because now she quickly extended her other hand to the right, catching Wataru's free left hand.

"Let's go!"

She ran first, with the two guardians being dragged behind. Laughing cheerfully almost like a little kid, Setsuna couldn't help but also smile at this scene for her blitheness was contagious. Curious about something she glanced at her right side, and boy was she surprised when she saw that the young man finally dropped the blankness of his expression.

He was smiling, and that was the tenderest smile she had ever seen on a man's face.

•••

"Hey, why don't we introduce you to my class tomorrow?"

Konoka was walking backward, while facing her two guardians, smiling and talking gleefully all the way. While the young swordswoman only smiled at her every word, the young man with plastic bags in his hand was just being silent, possibly due to his inability to speak in proper friendly term or he just had something in his mind (which was almost clear considering the frown on his forehead). That was when Konoka had an idea to make him talked, and it worked just fine.

"E-eh, but Ojou-sama, I think it's going overboard…" said the man in question. "Someone like me shouldn't—"

"Nah ah ah, what did I say about this matter?" Konoka cut his words while putting her slender finger on his lips. "Never commit that self-disdaining attitude, anymore."

"B-but—"

"Did I make myself clear?"

"A…" he tried to argue, but the seriousness her eyes were showing him left no room for argument or debate. "Okay, I understand…"

"Great, now—"

She didn't have whatever chance to finish her sentence, as she bumped into something and stumbled, tattered in her trail as she almost fell.

But before anything could happen, her quite petite body was already caught by the steady and slightly muscular arm of Wataru, who stared at her with worry. She balanced herself again while using his body as support, smiling and nodding to assure the boy of her condition before turning around.

The one who bumped with Konoka was a girl with freckles on her both cheeks, yet it wasn't able to hide her cuteness. She got moss-green eyes, with red hair which she combed to the side so her forehead was showing. With a thin body figure (chest, just so-so), she had height around 150 cm, just like an average teenage girl.

"Konoka, you startled me…!"

"Sorry, Natsume. I wasn't looking where I'm going, hehehe…" Konoka smiled apologetically as she bowed her head slightly. "What are you doing?"

"I just bought some fresh food ingredients, we need to stock up weekly now…" she sighed exasperatedly. "Kotaro-kun always eats like a black hole, I can't believe he's only ten years old…"

She opened her eyes and a little surprised when her sight found the still form of Wataru. Feeling slightly curious of whom this young man is, she pulled Konoka's wrist and whispered to her ear.

"Hey, who's this guy? I never see him before…"

"Oh, he… how should I say it…?" Konoka pondered for a while, she couldn't say that Wataru was present to protect her from demon's attacks, because not only that was weird, it was also quite unbelievable to any mundane's ears. Yet her quick wit solved a problem with a simple answer.

"He's a new instructor for the kendo club!"

"What?" Setsuna was dumbfounded.

"Instructor?" Wataru's face could be called the same. "I thought my assignment is only to protect Ojou-sama, so I am also ordered with another job? Hm, this is quite a task…"

"But he looks so young…" said Natsume while examining the young man in black observantly.

"Well, he's so much like our sensei. Despite his age, he is on par with Setsuna, you see."

"Ooy, Natsume nee-chan…!!"

A voice called for the freckles girl, coming out from a boy of his ten years with strange ears popping out the both side of his dark, semi long hairs. His black uniform was unbuttoned, revealing a white undershirt. Somehow, despite his young age, any attentive eyes would know just how built up his body, not on any normal rate for a boy, it was. He was waving to the red haired girl.

"What takes you so long? Hurry up, I'm starvi—"

When he got up close with the crowd, he suddenly stopped in his track. The young boy's body suddenly stiffened, as his pupils became cat like and his muscles hardened, upon locking eyes with the only other male there. Suddenly a heavy aura fell to the spot, so tense it became so high pressured. All the girls suddenly felt worried, but any word uttered after was already too late, for the two bodies already disappeared from the scene, following the sound of three plastic bags hitting the grounds.

"…Wataru?"

No answer came.

•••

"Well, who would have thought we met again here?!"

A sound of blast was suddenly audible as a body appeared from like thin air, flying with bullet speed and crashed to nearby walls, leaving a crater. The golden eyed bodyguard huffed a little, quickly regaining his balance to dodge the next kick which was sent from his enemy.

"This time, I'm not gonna lose again!!"

"Please wait, we do not need to fight like th—"

"Shut that trap!" he once again sent his fist, but it was successfully blocked by Wataru's right arm. "Just fight or you'll seriously be hurt!"

"Guh!"

The taller man caught his wrist in blinding speed, and threw him towards the sky where he quickly hovered as two black energies appeared on his both feet. Wataru pulled his hand to the right side, clenching it tightly before yelling.

"Kaze Ryuu! Kamaitachi!"

He shove his hand upward, creating numerous of mighty gusts which sharpness was able to cut through the most nearby tree to shreds. But black shadows forming behind the Inugami was the sign that he wouldn't just stand still to this attack, as he launched five dog spirit's projectile attacks.

The blast was quite loud to fill the area with its noise, yet before any crowd formed the two already disappeared again towards Lord-knows-where.

"Take this!"

This time, Wataru was standing on the roof of the highest building, defending against many attacks which were sent by Kotaro while the Inugami himself sported quite a length with him, still flying in the sky. The bodyguard flipped backward to miss the sudden invasion, yet the last spirit was barely able to graze him in the neck, where blood began to seep out of the wound.

"Hey, what's with that?! I don't remember you being this weak!" snapped Kotaro, slightly disappointed with the other boy's performance.

"Of course, I _am_ originally weak…" the reply came almost like a grunt, as he concentrated his ki to stop the bleeding, for the cut almost reached his aorta thus threatening to kill him if any careless move was made. "This could also mean that you have powered up."

"You bet I have! After that humiliating loss, of course I would be strived into getting stronger!" he exclaimed, hands forming black energy again to prepare the next attack. "I guess I will have to thank you for that!"

He lunged forward, this time concentrating his hound spirit in both fists, which turned almost pitch-black with certain level of density, making it hardened like a stone. But right before the attack connected, his opponent merely did a simple sidestep, missing the burst of energy by a few centimeter from his nose. While doing a full circle, Wataru bent his left arm and elbowed Kotaro hard on the stomach, sending him flying back to the air.

"Guh…!" he coughed, and a drop of blood spurt from the corner of his mouth.

"Certainly, that attack is strong. Nevertheless, if you think I would be so easily be struck with such crude advance, then it will be only a matter of time before you must admit to defeat…" he smirked in what seemed to be confidence, unintentionally pissing off his enemy. "Unplanned and careless movements won't work on me, that I can assure you."

"Heh, I take my words back, you're not weak at all," uttered the Inugami, honestly yet still fiercely. "It will become more interesting from here on out, so why don't we get serious?"

"I couldn't agree more."

"HAA!!"

Both shouted in unison, with a clash rang out loud in the air.

•••

"Secchan, are you sure this is the right way?!"

"Yes, their ki are so strong I can feel it even from afar…!" said Setsuna while running in a small pathway, surrounding them were trees and bushes. "I have traced their trail and it certainly stopped here!"

After a few more minutes of running, they reached a considerably sized empty field, and there it was. On the ground, a few craters along with evidence of blast and burst was visible, as the certain fight was still happening to this very moment, with both contestants throwing deadly attacks one at another.

They both were a mess, for such atrocious battle would obviously do their clothes some good. Kotaro's uniform was left without any sleeve, as it seemed that both had ripped apart, and many cuts (BIG cuts) had seemed to find their way to Wataru's black shirt, revealing most of his bare body to any eyes. Both were also wounded quite seriously, a long cut that stretched from right shoulder all the way to the left hip was visible on Wataru's back, and three or more bruise was also on Kotaro's cheeks.

"Ugh!"

"Guah!"

Two punches slammed at both jaw, inflicting damage as the two body flung out into the opposite sides of the field. Unfortunately for Kotaro, he wasn't able to stand his ground as he fell flat on his back while Wataru could still stand straight, ready for anything that came next.

"Hah… hah…" Kotaro panted exhaustedly, and only after he was able to catch his breath, did he look at his adversary once more. However, even if he was certainly damaged all over, he didn't seem to have any tiredness, as his breathing was maintained in a clockwork steadiness. "Huh, it seems I still cannot beat you with my current strength, doesn't it?"

"Not quite true. Well yes, you are still not winning, but at least you're capable of some skills…" answered Wataru honestly. "At the very least, you could inflict this much damage to me. That alone proved how strong you are."

"Heh, but it is still not enough, right?" Kotaro picked himself up, suddenly a look of determination fell upon his face. "Well then, I shall put everything I can muster with this final attack!!"

Wind swirled almost violently, and the surrounding air became wild all of a sudden. The trees' leaves were flying in quite havoc, and a large quantity of big sized rocks followed their track after a moment. All were caused by the scene that was unfolding, a gathering of ultimate energy of black spirit of dog at Kotaro's right hand. Responding to this preparation of finishing strike, Wataru only inhaled a deep breath and shut his eyes.

"This calls for some seriousness…" he whispered, opening his eyes while clenching his left hand into a fist. It suddenly wrapped in black and red colored ki, rounding his fist before merged together into high intensity of energy.

"HAAA!!"

Kotaro shouted his loudest scream as he lunge forward, ready to shatter his enemy's body into pieces. While their distance was being shortened, Wataru only stood in stillness, waiting for the upcoming attack as he concentrated more ki into the fist.

"Kuonbakusaiken!!"

"Honoo Ryuu…" Wataru whispered as he launched his attack. "Maouken!!"

The girls who stood watching in the outskirts of the field quickly shielded their head upon collision of the two fists. A huge explosion indicated the abundant of energy blast they were seeing, which was able to do massive destruction on the surrounding with power as much as dynamite. Who knows what will happen next?

•

For those who are wondering, Kuonbakusaiken means Howling Burst Knuckle, while Maouken means Demon God's Fist. Kotaro's technique is taken from the original manga, while Wataru's is my own creation, even if it was a little tricky in the naming. Oh yeah, Kaze Ryuu and Honoo Ryuu (almost the same with 'Katon' from Naruto) mean Wind Style and Fire Style respectively.

Do you want to know why Kotaro suddenly fights this guy, or why exactly did Wataru always refer to himself as 'slave' or 'servant'? Please express your curiosity through the review, any question will not be left unanswered.

Thank you for reading, please look forward to the next chapter! Ja, matta ne!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, lookie here, the third chapter! I've been so busy with my school and I will have to suspend my hand in writing for a while, but here I am with another part! Hope you will be able to forgive me for this lateness!

Ahh, from one anonymous review I got, I kinda realized that OC fics aren't so much liked here, are they? Well, that is a shame. But anyway, I shall prove to you that my fic isn't going to be some pitiful writing, it's going to offer some quality, please know I won't give up! Trust me!

Gah, enough of my usual and useless babbling! Please enjoy, everyone!

•••

_**I Deserve Nothing**_

Kotaro's limp form lay flat on his back at the almost destroyed landscape, where a big crater was visible as the result from the previous clash of destructive energy. Even if his body was worn out completely, and having his clothes ripped in many parts, he definitely had a nice smile on his lips, as if content about something. His enemy stood not far, with big cuts all over his dark clothes, the young man himself was panting, out of breath from enormous and nearly excessive exhaustion. A stream of blood was visible on the right corner of his mouth, which he wiped clean to eliminate the iron taste. Only after his panting ceased, did he walk towards the boy with dog ear.

He reached his destination, stopping right beside the unconscious Inugami boy. Smiling tenderly, he pondered and contemplated the fiery battle he just had with the boy today.

"He has grown so strong…" he said in his mind only. "Quite the potential he has there…"

He left the battlefield, but not empty handed. On his back, nestled the younger boy, snoring slightly in his obliviousness. A gentle, brotherly look fell on the bodyguard face, as he smirked when looking at the boy's now rather cute face.

"Wataru~!" suddenly, someone called his name out of nowhere. "Are you two okay?!"

"Eh? Ojou-sama?" greatly surprised at the attendance of his supposed master. "What are thou doing here?"

"We've been chasing you around, you know!" she exclaimed while flailing her hands around, a look of extensive worry was visible on her face when he saw the two boy's condition. "Why did the two of you just disappear like that?! And why did you fight such ferocious battle?!"

"Ah, it's just… a little rivalry between me and him," he replied simply, as if ignoring the fact that this so called rivalry caused his and Kotaro's body got into such mess. "If you want to know in detail, I shall explain later. Right now, I must bring him to nearest hospital. His condition is much worse than mine, it seems."

"Hm, let me check it for a bit…" Konoka looked at the Inugami observantly, thinking a little while rubbing her chin. "Hmm, I daresay it's not that bad, I can heal him easily."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm a healer, you know?" she cocked her head sideward, towards the still and silent swordswoman who stood just beside her. "And I'm quite good at it, isn't it so, Secchan?"

"Well, even if I can't deny that, but where should we take him, Ojou-sama?"

"How about my dorm room? It's not quite far from here…"

"But won't Asuna-san object? After all, we're bringing _boys_ here…"

"Oh come on, Asuna's not that kind of meanie. And we just bring them to do some medical attempt. She won't—"

"My DEEPEST apology for intruding, but I seriously think this that chat should be suspended for now…" said Wataru, slightly annoyed. "This little guy might die if you two just keep talking like that. And on that matter, his breath is getting weak…"

"A-ah, sorry…! We didn't mean to…!" Konoka and Setsuna quickly apologized for their behavior, clasping their hands in sync.

"Never mind, but we must take our leave now…"

"Okay, then let us go. This way…"

•••

"Wow, I can't believe Kotaro-kun got all banged up like that…"

That comment was said by a red haired boy, with a back ponytail on the other colored hairs. His glasses hung casually on his nose, somehow making him appeared more matured and educated than his actual age. Sitting with his leg crossed at the top of Konoka's bed, he now stared in awe at the scene unfolding, which was only a sight of Wataru, whose body was being bandaged by the caring and gentle hands of Setsuna. The other black haired girl was on the upper floor, taking her time to heal the Inugami boy.

"Um, hello? Am I invisible? Don't you see how my condition is? I'm also pretty much injured here…" Wataru weakly replied, while having Setsuna bandaging his both wounded arms. "That guy got some pretty powerful technique, if you ask me. It hurts so badly…"

"But still, you could defeat him…" Negi once again uttered with astonishment. "Now I can believe Headmaster and Eishun-sama's opinion about how strong you are…"

"No matter how grateful I am at your compliment, however, I do not deserve it. I am anything but strong."

"But—"

"Negi-kun! Could you come here and help me with this…?!" exclaimed the other girl, her voice sounded troubled. "He won't stop squirming, and I'm not strong enough to keep him still!"

"A-ah, yes! Coming…!"

The red haired prodigy quickly climbed the ladder, responding to duty and leaving the two sword masters alone.

"Wataru, please turn this way," said Setsuna softly, placing her smooth hand on the boy cheek, turning his head to face her direction as she briefly said. "Good."

She took a band aid, opening it and began plastering his cheeks. Seeing their face was parted by only centimeters, Wataru couldn't help but to blush at the woman's beauty and cuteness. He reached for her hands, and stopped whatever they were doing.

"Um, I can take it from here…"

"No, let me finish it…" Setsuna shook her head, removing his hands so she could continue her activity. "This is the least I could do to make up for your help last night."

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you forgot…" Setsuna stared right at those golden orbs. "Back then, you saved me from those demons…"

"Um…" he pondered and finally recalled the incident. Now he had a frown on his forehead. "Hey, I didn't do that for any profit or reward. So you don't need to do all this."

**Hey, idiot! Don't you know that many people would even kill to accept such attention from her?**

"What if I say that it is I who want this? Couldn't you just accept?"

"Er, well…"

He fell into a deep thinking as the girl with side ponytail gazed it his face. She didn't know exactly why, but she knew that face. Everything could be read in clarity, as if she was reading a book with full translation or a problem with detailed solution. Even if she didn't have that magical ability, she somehow could read his mind.

"I am not worthy of such care, for I am merely a servant…" she began to recite, an expression full of confusion and surprise was now visible on the young man's stern orbs. "My rank cannot earn me such attention, no matter how much I appreciate it, someone as honored as her shouldn't even bother with me…"

"W-what…?"

"Those are what you've been thinking, aren't they?" she chuckled, quite happy and gleeful at how right and true her sentence was.

"Uh…" he growled in embarrassment, and to the girl's surprise, he just couldn't take it anymore. "It's okay! I will manage by myself…!"

"A-ah, Wataru, wait…!"

Unknown to the young man, Setsuna was clutching to his shirt and just by chance, one of her leg was in the way of the male. He stumbled over the limb, and the force of Setsuna's pull on his clothes made him quickly unable to keep his balance, thus making he fell face first on the ground, producing quite a loud noise.

"Ugh…" he grunted at the small pain, putting his hand without seeing where. "Setsuna-sama, are you okay…?"

Hearing that no particular answer came from the girl, he decided to open his eyes and took a look at the view of what was under him. However, what he found after his eyelids were opened was the sight of two black orbs sporting a length less than an arm's reach, and also a red beet, blushing face.

As if Divine Intervention, it was the exact same time Asuna made her entrance.

"What the…?!"

Any right-minded person would ask that if they saw the position the two bodyguards were in. Setsuna was laying flat on her back, with both of her hands positioned on the sides of her head, her legs spread out widely. The swordswoman's face had never gone any redder, when she found out that she was crushed under the bodyguard from Osaka, and seeing how his taken position was between her wide apart legs. Also, the evidence of his hand cupping her right breast didn't help them in any form of denial.

"Oh my…!?"

The problem is just getting bigger, isn't it? As if the arrival of Asuna wasn't enough, the two other occupants of the room were wondering what had caused such ruckus, lo and behold, their eyes were now set on the two sword users with their jaws hanging.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING, IN MY ROOM?!!"

**She just **_**had **_**to shout something out, didn't she?**

"Gaah!!" the black clothed guy jumped, almost flying away from Setsuna. He flailed his arms around, trying to explain this bizarre situation with equally weird gesture. "I… She… We…!"

"YOU…?" asked Asuna in flaring voice, almost burning to him. "SHE…?"

"W-we…!" he blushed deep red now, but still tongue tied and unable to converse anything. But his eyes flashed as he saw that the front door was now wide open. "Excuse me!!"

With bullet-like speed, he snatched away his torn shirt. Without any further ado, he shut his eyes to concentrate and one second after, his body disappeared into thin air. No presence was identifiable any longer.

•••

Only after all misunderstandings had been cleared, did finally Setsuna had some peaceful mind from being glared by the lot. Fortunately, it was also the time Kotaro woke up from his obliviousness, thus preventing any weird question. Seeing a chance to escape from awkwardness, she quickly brought herself to Kotaro's side.

"How are you feeling, Kotaro?"

"Well, I think it's not less than okay…" he winced a little when trying to sit. "Where's he?"

"Ah, he just disappeared again…"

"Ahh, man… he is still the very monster I've met long ago…"

"Monster? Do you mean Wataru?"

"Don't you know? He is known by that nickname in the underworld…" the boy grunted while wincing a bit. "Damn, this hurts…"

"Are you okay, Kotaro-kun…? Need me to do the healing again?"

"Nah, I'll live…" he brushed her softly. "Being lost again hurts pretty much worse than these wounds.…"

"Ah, yes, about that…" Konoka clapped her hand. "I've been meaning to ask you, what is this 'rivalry' Wataru mentioned about?"

"Well…" he seemed hesitant, but a sigh coming out of his mouth later implied that he could not avoid this matter for eternity. "You know how I always said about my past, right?"

**(0)**

It was when he was still eight years old, the darkest time of his live. He had to do many horrible things to stay alive, that was just how the world is. He had to rob, steal, sometimes even kill for some money, or just a bite of bread. Since there was no one to take care for him, this life was so much inevitable. But it wasn't like he was alone in all this.

He had friends, or you could say partners in crime. Moreover, they were his underlings, even if he was the youngest between the four young boys (he still didn't like girls back then, pity him). Three teammates, and they all had different abilities.

First, with the name of Kongotsuke Shiro, was only two years older than Kotaro. He had white hairs just like his name, with slender body figure and 'beautiful' face, almost matching a girl if he developed long hairs. But no matter how slender his body was, don't ever underestimate him, for it would be your last. His speed was the best of all four, he could snatch the best jewel in a show without even alerting the highly maintained security, his speed could easily match an F-1 in its highest. Nicknamed… White Light.

Second, named Jiraiya Shin, was in his eighteen, the oldest of them. His body was enormous, scaling almost two and a half meters. Typical of big guys like him, his body was monstrously muscular, sporting hardness like iron, for that matter. His punches were disaster, and his kicks were explosion. The huge guy had so much destructive power he could lift a heavyweight truck with ease and destroy a 30 cm thick concrete wall with only a punch. Among the four, he was called Devil Giant, both from his appearance and his strength.

Third and the last, was Kotaro's best friend (for now, at least), Mikazuchi Rei. His speed was average, and so was his power. But his real and true forte lay in technique, martial arts, and wits. Even if he lost to Shiro in sheer speed, no matter what attack the white haired boy used, he was always able to repel it, with 90% accuracy. It was far easier with Shin, for the big boy was too slow in exchange of his tremendous strength. Also, with his unmatchable wits from the four, he was a guy with strategy, one must say. Appointed with second name, 'Master', he had no objections.

And if the three of them wasn't enough, there was Inugami Kotaro, the leader. His power was far above average even in his youth, and with blinding quickness as well. Even if he could never outrun Shiro, in battle, it was as clear as crystal that he would gain the upper hand. And with Shin, it was always an easy win, for that guy were only muscle and no more. Even though his real battle advantage lay on his ability, the skill to summon dog spirits to help him in battle, he preferred fist fight more than anything else. Thus, Black Demon, they called him.

They were a team back then, and they never failed a mission.

And it was then, that they met this 'monster'.

•••

"Yo, Kotaro." Shiro opened his mouth while they strolled upon the silent road, all the while preparing his tools. "Why are we doing this mission again?

"Huh? To get the money of course, what else is there?"

"But… don't we already get a pretty sum after doing the last one?"

"Oh, come on, Shin. You can't be scared of going into missions one after another, can you?" replied the Master (Rei), exhibiting his usual grin. "The bounty for this mission is quite high, I must admit. And the level of difficulty is pretty low, we'll very much succeed in this one. In other words, easy money!"

"What are we going to do again?"

"We are to infiltrate a tower, which belongs to Kansai Magic Association. Though I don't know why, they got so minimum security there, not exactly I would do if I got such precious item inside…" replied Rei, now sporting a feral grin.

"What item, exactly?" asked Shiro.

"The Crescent Essence…" replied Kotaro. "It's an item to amplify your capacity greatly and acts as a reserve for ki and magic power. Because it absorbs moonlight and transform it into energy, you can fight to all your desire under the moon with this item."

"Wow, that's a kick ass item! Now I'm excited…!" Shin raised his huge hand, and punched the air.

"Okay, look lively now guys," Shiro planted his feet steadily, his head cocked upward to see at the menacing tower. "We have arrived."

"Fine then," Kotaro raised an arm, commanding all the boys. "I think it's time for us to charge, don't you agree?"

"Agree as hell!!"

"That's just the answer I want hear…!" from within his hands and feet, black energies of Inugami dog began to emerge, implying the readiness for some action. "Let's rock and roll, guys!!"

"Yeah!!!"

•••

For all they worth, none of those guards in the tower could hold them off. The four were practically unstoppable, they broke through any obstacle and defense the security had to offer. It took them not more than 15 minutes to reach the highest floor, where the Crescent Essence was located.

"Man, you were right, Rei! This mission is an easy win!"

"I told you so, have my calculation ever be wrong?"

"Well, a little mistake here and there can't hurt so much, can it?!" Kotaro laughed off. "I must admit though, those guys are really weak! I can't believe they were assigned to guard such important item!"

"Now you mention it, I don't think that's so true…" mumbled Shiro, and his statement had all of them stopped walking.

"What do you mean, Shiro?" Shin, who was being curious, asked.

"Do you remember what the last guard we beat had said when we interrogated him?" he pondered. "I've been thinking, and his words really send a chill down my spine…"

"Oh come on, I don't think it's that bad…!" the Inugami tried to reassure his friend, yet he failed. "What did he say again?"

"If I remember correctly, he said that the reason of this lack of guards and security was because they need protection on other place. But since the item being guarded here is also important, they have hired a bodyguard to do the protection…" Master explained again what the guard had said to them. "And the last sentence was, 'I warn you, do NOT go to the last floor. He's guarding in there, and if you're not willing to take heed of my warning, then know this. He's a monster'. That was all."

"That's exactly what I mean, I don't know why, but his words really got onto me…"

Among the four, it was a common knowledge that if White Light was worried about something, whatever it was would come true, for his hunch and intuition were incredibly sharp despite his gender (usually, only girls had intuition of this magnitude). His confession regarding the danger lay in the other side of the door they faced, also had taken its toll on all youngster. But, being rash and reckless as he always was, Kotaro made up his mind.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you guys have chickened out just because that small threat. If there is really someone strong here, won't it be a good fight?!" he scoffed, trying to return his friends' vigor. "We have always yearned for a nice fight, haven't we?! C'mon, whatever monster he is, he won't be able to beat all four of us!!"

"Yeah…" Rei's head cocked up with ever-so-rising confidence. "Kotaro's right, guys! We are four altogether! And this so called monster is alone!"

**That logic won't work with this guy, you know…**

"We won't lose!!" Shin followed with an exclamation.

**Oh, really?**

"Be it dragon, serpent, or Cerberus for all I care, we're going to beat this guy till he can't get up again!!"

**They just don't know how wrong that statement is…**

"Why do I feel we will lose anyway?" Shiro, who was now behind of his friends, mumbled quite silently.

**Well, well, well, at the very least, there's one with brain here…**

•••

He was young, that was their first conclusion after seeing the bodyguard. From his youthful face, they knew that fourteen years was the limit for this guy's age. His body wasn't immensely big, but they could see that he was trained in some way, it was somehow shown from his aura and presence. That guy was sitting in seiza, with an all white hakama. Even his pants were white, and hakama usually had different color for the top and bottom. And as they had assumed, he was alone in this vast room, and they could see it now. The Crescent Essence was glowing on the altar not far behind the guard.

"Hey! Mind if we barge in?!"

The guy in white didn't answer, his eyes and mouth shut tight almost like a sleeping person. But an intense aura they felt conveyed that this young man wasn't unaware. They had slight hesitation, but they still walked forward to face this 'monster'.

"Stop." his word was simple, it didn't even need a higher volume than a casual talk. But it had enough dangerous force to stop all four youngsters' track. "This is the last warning."

"What? What if we're still going ahead?" asked Kotaro cockily, didn't even realize the danger he was in.

"Heed, or you shall be punished…" after saying that, he opened his eyelids. Golden orbs shone in the darkness, planting fear in the heart of his opponents. "I don't give mercy."

"Ha! Say all your warnings, we ain't going back!" the Devil Giant went ahead of his companions in a reckless move, sending his enormous sized fist to the bodyguard.

"Fool."

Still in seiza, he raised one palm and took the attack head on. The wooden floor around him was crushed into a crater, but he himself stayed unharmed. This time, he picked himself up, and a glare was finally made by his golden eyes. He was pissed, that's for sure.

**You guys are really in a hot zone now…**

"I shall comply. It seems to be in your interest to fight me, no?"

He threw a fist unto Shin's big ball of fingers, and the three companions were surprised. The big guy flung away to nearest wall, bursting through it and fell from the tower. White Light was the first to be recovered from his dazzle, quickly went to the balcony and looked down to see his friend's condition. Good for him, even though his wound was serious, he was definitely still living. His chest was moving up and down, implying that there was still air circulating his lungs.

"Shiro, is he okay?!" Kotaro asked worriedly.

"Yeah, at least he's still breathing…!"

"I have warned you, but it fell into deaf ears…" a calm but horrifying voice came again, and when they took a look, the bodyguard was at the ready. "Now, there are only two choices. Fight, or be prepared to go down."

"Damn you!!" exclaimed the Master. "Shiro, let's go!"

"I'm going too!" shouted Kotaro.

"No, you're not!" snapped his best friend. "The two of us are gonna tire him down, and that is when you come in and beat some fist into his sorry ass!"

"But…!"

"No buts, Kotaro! Have my plan ever failed you?!" he put up a thumb, giving Kotaro one of his usual, smart style smiles. "So just wait there!"

They went into an attack, breaking into two directions as Shiro went for his right side and Rei into his left side. But the bodyguard never fazed, as he jumped high to parry the attack.

Before he landed, one blur of a movement implied that Shiro wasn't letting him go so easily. Right at one meter altitude, a kick connected to his abdomen but not before he gave one of his feet forward, thus resulting in a kick to White Light's face.

Though injured, he didn't take the slightest relaxation, for he knew that one enemy still remained on the advance. He glanced around, but his real attention lay on the instinct, and he could feel that his opponent was nowhere far.

Suddenly, his feet felt like rock, as he confusedly stared down, he realized that his limbs were planted to the floor by some bizarre technique. He cursed himself for not being aware of this, he didn't think that his enemy was clever and sly enough to do something so disgraceful.

**Hey, they're thugs, why would you think so highly of them in the first place? **

The technique user appeared from the floor, coming out of it as if it was a water pool. Next second, the bodyguard felt a direct hit connected to his face, and it did give him pain quite a bit, to be honest. After a series of punches, a trail of blood was finally visible on the corner of his mouth.

"To think I have underestimated you guys…" he muttered quietly, but it was loud enough for his opponents to hear. "This is quite a blasphemy."

"Well, don't you dare think we're gonna stop, 'cause we ain't!" shouted Rei, feeling a bit ecstatic for this upper hand situation.

"It seems you deserve my seriousness after all…" he clapped his hand together, and said a name. "Teleportation Ultimate Technique, Shukuchi…"

He disappeared from his spot, in a speed so fast they didn't even know the exact second he went missing. From what they could tell, however, his presence was definitely not there anymore. And it terrified them, who wouldn't fear an undetectable and shapeless enemy?

"Pardon me."

To his surprise, the bodyguard already stood beside Rei, with his right hand pulled to the back. One powerful backhand sweep was all it took to send him flying across the room, and landing pitifully on the floor, unconscious. After he was done with the Master, he turned his face towards the white haired boy, now sporting something that resembled a warm and kind smile.

"Would you surrender? I won't hurt you that way…"

"L-like hell I would…!!" he yelled fiercely, but his feet was trembling due to the fear piling in his heart. "N-no matter what happens, I will keep fighting!"

"Shame, isn't it?"

This time, he was whispering right beside Shiro's ear, as the kid went pale. He rolled his eyes to the side, looking at the teen whose hand now in his neck.

"H-help…"

Even though he looked so menacing with his stunt, all the bodyguard did was hit him lightly on the aorta of his neck, halting his blood for a second to put him out cold. Sighing quietly, he held his hands outward to catch the stumbling boy, putting him on the floor almost caringly.

"I shall warn you again…" he spoke again, directed at none other than Inugami Kotaro himself. "Fight? Or surrender?"

"Of course…" his body was trembling, but for Kotaro it wasn't because of fear. He was ecstatic, to think he had found someone so strong to beat all of his companion, this is gonna be one hell of a fight! "I choose to fight! En garde, my white friend!"

"Let it begins."

Powerful clashes in the air compelled the air to swirl almost violently, and their constant fast moves had turned it into a strong wind, almost storm like. Energies of black dog milled about in the room, but none of them hit their target. The young man's technique, Shukuchi, was too powerful for Inugami Kotaro to actually and accurately hit his target.

"Man, what the hell is that?!" he exclaimed after a while, ceasing his battle. "It's like you disappeared and appeared in almost the exact same time!"

"Of course, that is why I call it Teleportation Technique…" the teen bodyguard appeared right in front of him, grinning confidently. "Now, will you give up?"

"Hell no I won't! It's only getting more and more interesting from here…!" the boy once more remarked. "Kuzoku Juuka!"

Suddenly, a change took place before the bodyguard eyes. Kotaro's body and hair begin to turn white, the latter also took an extension of length. His eyes changed from deep black into gold ones, much like the bodyguard's.

"Hmm, I see you still have something up to your sleeve."

"Now the real fight begins!"

"Very well…" the teen held out a stance again, but now both his arms were glowing green as heavy and strong wind swirled around him. "Bring it on!"

**(0)**

"Even if I used all my strength, it was obviously still not enough to beat him…" he finished his tale, sighing in exasperation as an ending. "Man, I'm exhausted. That was quite a long story…"

"Wait, what happened after that…?" asked Konoka as she was still curious at the conclusion.

"Well, even if he single handedly beat all of us, he did nothing else. He just let us go, saying something about we still could stop doing those horrible deeds and change," Kotaro looked a bit sulky. "Though I hate to admit it, his kindness really took its toll on me. I couldn't help but admire him, he was too kind for someone so strong, and… well, such kindness was too rare in a world like mine. It was also then, that I disbanded my team and went solo on my job. I want to become as strong as him, then challenge him on a fight once again."

"But, as you can see, I failed at that purpose of mine. Just look, even today, he went easy with me…" he snorted in annoyance. "He didn't use his Teleportation even once in our fight today…"

"Kotaro…"

"Well, not like it matters now. I can challenge him in another opportunity, and I shall be stronger by that time…"

"Somehow I feel you're going to lose again." Negi said abruptly.

"Ugh, do you really have to jinx it?! Stupid Negi!"

"Hey, I just pointed what's true, so excuse me for being honest…!" Negi retorted, sticking his tongue at the enraged Kotaro.

"You…! Want some knuckle sandwich, don't you?!"

While seeing the two off with their goofy, child-like attitude, the three girls chuckled… okay, only two of them anyway. One swordswoman had been occupied by her train of thoughts, as she pondered over Kotaro's explanation.

"**Strong… but overly kind…"** she thought. **"Why do I feel like I know that description…?"**

•••

"Fuh… that was dangerous…" he muttered slightly, a little calmed down now after he took some distance. "She really knows how to push my button well…"

Despite saying that, he was smiling almost tenderly. No matter what happened, he was very happy to receive such concern and attention from her. She never changed, didn't she? Always the caring, kind girl.

As quick as light, his smile disappeared. Now he formed a frown, and a dark look fell to his face. How could he let this happens? He wasn't supposed to feel such happiness! Not now, not then, not after what he had done. Not after what happened.

"I'm such a fool…" he put one palm on his face, a new grin was formed by his lips. But this time, it was a sad one. "What was I thinking? That I could regain what I have lost?"

He looked at the palm of his right hand, his main hand which he always used to hold his weapons and alike. His most trustworthy hand that had always accompanied him in many fights, and it never failed him in any occasion. But it was also the most dreadful and hateful part of his body, as the sin this hand had committed would never disappear.

It would stay there, for eternity, acting as a remembrance for what had occurred. Remembrance of a proof that there would never be another chance to receive happiness, for it was now forbidden for accursed individual such as him.

"It is an impossible hope right from the beginning, isn't it…?" he asked almost painfully, still smiling an empty and agonized smile. "They have been forever out of my reach… ever since I did that…"

He must never let this happened again, they didn't deserve to be tainted by him. Those girls were pure, they deserved a happy and peaceful life, not like him. He would be quite near to watch over them, but not enough for them to see or feel his presence. He would be always beside them, but impossible to detect or touch. He shall become a shadow, irrelevant and unimportant, but as long it was enough for him to be always able to protect them, he would have no objection.

He was ready for it, even if it meant his demise, he would still go forth. After all, he had nothing else, right?

This was his life purpose, his promise… his vow. Thus, he shall do it faithfully.

•••

I know this fic isn't so big and great in quality, and I know just how bad my writing skill is. But please, you can say whatever comment at this fic, I shall receive even the most disdaining one! Even flame is allowed, I don't really care as long it can serve as a means of improvement!

Negi is a little childish in this story, I know, I just happened to make him like that. Next time, I won't do.

Let's see, the next chapter's title will be… 'You're a Liar'… yeah, that. So please give me your reviews! I would be enormously and tremendously happy if you're willing to give me comments!!

Ja, matta ne!!


	4. Chapter 4

If you're wondering why I posted this even if I already posted a sequel, then please know that that story is already deleted. I made it when I was trying to break the writer's block, and somehow, after I re-read it, I'm clearly disappointed at myself. I don't like it, it feels too shallow! That is why I decided to continue this story instead, I'm sorry if it feels inconvenient for you…

I do not have Negima, by the way you are wondering. If I did have it, I would have made Negi to be older!

Please, have a nice read!

•

_**All out War**_

Attacks and demons, those two words had become the most frequent subject among Mahora's magic agency. Needless to say, the headmaster had been pretty busy sending emissaries to many regions with reason that could be summed by one word: help. Yes, to protect his precious daughter, he needed all the help he could get for he could not afford to risk anything now. He would gather all forces possible on the face of the Earth if it was for protecting the girl. Because what? These demons were sent with a sole purpose, get the Princess of The Old World with whatever means necessary!

Of course, the most direct solution was just come to her school and snatched her away. Fight any opposition the human race might try to offer, but try to keep casualties to minimum. Since this was a mission given not only to those within ranks, even mercenary demon or even a rouge demon was granted the permission to take a shot, and whoever succeeded would be bestowed with anything he/she had ever wanted. Certainly, this would only happen if the mission was a success, and why did after one month, no one had been there to claim the freaking prize?

The answer was simple, the force protecting the Princess was simply too immense. Attack and attack had been sent, but none was even able to return home alive. Yet, the reason of those defeats was lost on them.

How could a battalion consisting of one hundred capable demons, be slaughtered by only two sword wielders, one western mage, one dog spirit user, and a mere schoolgirl?!

**(0)**

"Kotaro-kun! Look out!"

One black haired boy with school uniform, the usual black pants and unbuttoned jacket, quickly changed his center of attention to his behind, and ducked just in time to avoid his head being skewered in half. His unusual ear twitched slightly as he brought both his hands up, black energies formed like needles propelled from them, stabbing his black skinned attacker. Once he was up with his feet, he whipped his head sideward and shouted.

"Thanks for that one Negi—HEY, WATCH YOUR BACK!!"

The said red haired boy wasn't unaware, in fact he was getting ready with his counter attack. With one simple sidestep, the powerful punch skidded on the surface of his white T-shirt, he rotated and gathered some kinetic energy, putting it whole in one elbow attack which connected just nicely on his horned enemy. He added one kick around the stomach when his enemy staggered backward, continuing with forming five crackling orbs around his fist.

"Raika Houken!!" he launched the punch, resulting in an explosion of thunder and electrical energy. When the smoke and dust dissipated, the enemy's body was beginning to disintegrate into the air.

"Damn, they're strong!!" the other boy came back-to-back with him before wiping his sweating face. "Those demons really are desperate, aren't they?!"

"We can't complain now, Kotaro-kun!" the red head answered, assuming one of his kempo stance as he concentrated on the onslaught surrounding them. "We've much time for that once this is over!"

"You've got it, partner! Let's rock them up!!"

"Haaa!!"

•••

"Wait!! Why does my Ensis Exorcizan not work with this guy?!" it was a girlish scream, it would seem. "Ah, shoot!"

The girl, who had a twin pigtail on her red head, flipped backward to dodge being smacked to a splatter of butter by a massive sized jackhammer. She looked up, and once again shrieked in fear when her enemy didn't show any kind of pity as he lifted the big weapon, ready to smash again.

"Ah, I know!" she hit his right palm with her left fist, a comical lamp being lit over her head as she smiled idiotically. "They're real demons, so it is natural my artifact doesn't work!"

"Ehh… then, how am I supposed to beat this big guy?"

One can only pray, may her soul be welcomed upon God's sides…

•••

"Shinmeiryuu Ougi!! Hyakuretsu Okazan!!"

They said one could never overcome a battle if there was no possibility in winning. Because, no matter how hard one fought, when death came it would all be useless. Yet, many had also said that no matter how thin the percentage was, as long there was a chance, one must not give up. By simply surrendering to fate indicated that we weren't suitable to be called human. Because, being a human made us have the ability to carve our own future, our fate and destiny.

Then again, if one girl, even if she was a disciple of famed Shimeiryuu, was to face a horde of high ranked demons, could that logic work with this too?

She couldn't hope for help by now, because her latest news of the situation stated that it was a full raged war around Mahora. All the mages and bounty hunters which were hired by the headmaster got their hands full by their own enemies. Even Kaede and Tatsumiya were occupied somewhere before they could reach Setsuna's team.

It really was an all out war.

"Heah!" she brought her sword, Yuunagi, unto the air to block a downward slash. The attack proved to be too strong, as she could retain her grip on the sword and one moment after, the weapon left her hand. She hissed, feeling dejected for being so weak, as her hand immediately went to her skirt's pocket to pull a card with her winged form as the picture and called out, "Sica Shishikushiro!!"

The card glowed in white hue before spreading into sixteen orbs, solidifying into small knives. She lifted one hand towards the sky, and brought it down in one inhale of breath. Taking the gesture as a command, the floating knives flew to the black figure, stabbing it in many places to buy their master some time.

The girl leapt sideward, reaching out for her fallen sword. Once the sharp bladed weapon was in the firm grip of her hand, she quickly launched towards the demon, one technique filling her mind.

"Zantetsusen!!"

The Ougi might have slaughtered the one enemy she was facing then, but when the black haired girl turned around, what she saw was a colossal view of tens of demons. Just defeating one of them took her this much strength, and she only had beaten at most eleven of the brethren. If this already drained her of her power, then just how could she hope to beat all of them?! To think she was this weak, just what had she been doing all this time? What benefit did her trainings really do for her?

"Rhaa!! Die, you damn girl!!"

She was startled when the war cry reached her ears, but no move was visible from her body. She had fought well, yet now all of her energy had been diminished. No matter how much she wanted to put the limbs into motion, she was just too tired to do just that. Her eyes became a little watery when the blade moved ever so closer, but one thought crossed her exhausted mind, one name left her dry lips.

"Wataru…"

•••

The blade stopped dead in its track, and the reason was apparently visible in front of her. Just like in past times, **he** had appeared in a flash of moment right before her, presenting the girl with his soothing presence. The bastard sword of her enemy, was now caught between the index and middle fingers of the newcomer, keeping it in hold by sheer strength. The newcomer turned his head to regard her, his golden eyes shining in the darkness as always.

It had been so long, almost three week since their last encounter. Almost without reason, or at least without one that was known to her, he… disappeared. They, mostly only she and her Ojou-sama, had been searching for him, but the young man was nowhere to be found. His presence lingered on the area, but his whereabouts was unknown to anyone. Even the headmaster, who received almost constant report from him, hadn't known where he lived. It was like he avoided them, it was like… he didn't want to see them.

But in the end, whenever she was in danger, whenever she was on the tightest pinch, he always appeared as if emerged from absolutely nowhere. As if he was an angel protector who came only when she was in trouble. And see where he was now, in front of her, defending the girl from a blow that would surely kill her if it connected. Once again, he had saved her life. And once again, she was granted the ability to see those golden eyes again, which was always able to calm her in any occasion.

"My deepest apology, Setsuna-sama…" he whispered in a soft and almost inaudible voice, face contorted in pain. "How shameful of me… to think I have almost failed to protect you…"

He whipped his head around back to his foe, before twisting his hand slightly and breaking the sword in half. While the demon looking somewhat panicked, he pulled his free fist backward which was now covered in green aura.

"Kaze Ryuu…!" he said the technique. "Tsumujikaze…!!"

An uppercut, accompanied with monstrous strength and mighty wind, was all it took to launch the demon soaring high in the sky, not likely to fall down anymore. After that, Setsuna felt something tugged on her body and the next thing she knew, she was in the young man's arms.

"Negi-san, Kotaro-kun, Asuna-sama!!" the young man yelled the names of his comrades. "Get back here!!"

With confusion pretty visible in their face, they followed the order. Yet when they'd got some distance with enemy's army, someone clearly didn't like the idea of retreating.

"Why the hell are we pulling back?! We were just getting to the good part, y'know!!"

He received a glare from the black clothed guy, and something in it made him waver at his own argument. There was fire in those golden orbs, a flame so intense he actually cowered just by the sight of it. That young man… was clearly angered by something, and the result couldn't be pleasant. Negi stepped forward, gulped once to gather his courage and asked, "Wataru-san, can you tell us why—"

"The headmaster orders you all to retreat. Do not argue," the young man in black said, as he put the girl in his arms back to the ground. His eyes flashed when she opened her mouth, intervening something that wasn't said yet with his own words. "No, Setsuna-sama. You must not continue fighting, your body has wounded too much to do so."

"But, do we have to let them savage this place…!?"

"No," so simple for an answer, like again, as always. "While you're getting away, I'll face them."

Without anymore word, the young man walked forward to proceed into the fight, leaving the exhausted group with confused mind and unfinished argument. However, the only one who had the will to run up and stop the bodyguard from going forward was only one… only Setsuna.

"You can't be serious!! There are tens of them!!" she screamed, clutching the back of his shirt in desperation not to let him go forth. "You will die if you fight alone!!"

"Death is always imminent for someone like me, so why avoid it?"

"B-but… Ojou-sama will be sad!! ...I'll be sad!!" she tried to reason, her eyes became watery but she wasn't letting go of him. "Please, at least let us fight with you!"

She was further surprised when Wataru spun around and grabbed her by the shoulder in a firm yet gentle grip.

"And seeing you wounded before my eyes again? Is that what you're telling me to do?"

There was a pregnant silence, one that was bound to be broken in short time.

"…If there is one thing that hurts me the most, it is to see you guys getting hurt…" he whispered close to her face, so many emotions was mixed up and it made her have difficulty in deciphering them. "I'd rather die than see you wounded, I'd rather be crushed to pieces than see you have a cut on your body."

"…Wa… taru?"

"So please, just stay here. Let me protect you…"

With that sentence, he turned around so once more he was facing the bevy of demons. With eyes shut tight, and fist clenched hard, he tried to indulge his feeling. This time, he must put his tolerating self aside, no matter how much he wanted to settle this matter in peaceful way, with they way things were, there was no escaping the battle. He inhaled deep, before opening his eyes only to show that now, his golden eyes no longer held those calming and soothing feeling. There was only anger, a fury that needed to be satisfied.

For one last time, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Do not worry, I do not plan in losing…" he smiled. "After all, I'm fighting to protect _**you**_, I cannot lose… not by all means…"

A burst of energy was suddenly exploded around his feet, taking in two colors, red and green. After focusing each in his left and right hand respectively, he joined his hands to combine the ki which was now forming a white colored orb, with a strange yellow nuance. He held the orb in his right hand, and called out. "Furo haanata no shinjinbukai kagayaki gaaru boku no te…!! Fuuen Ryuu, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi!!"

The yellowish white orb stirred, and in a flash, it was replaced by an enormous white sword. Its hilt was long, being the same length as the young man's arm itself. And what was interesting for the spectacles, was how its hilt wasn't connected to the blade, as if the gigantic sword needed no leverage. Its shiny surface was gleaming with yellowish shine even if there was no light to reflect, filling the dark field it was in with something that resembled the sunlight.

"…'Sword of Gathering Clouds of Heaven'…" he called the name of his weapon, and it responded by shining even more brilliantly. "It seems I need your help again, doesn't it?

"Well then," Wataru swung the enormous sword with ultimate ease, as if it was as light as feather. "Let us fight."

The group behind him could only look in awe, they didn't expect the young bodyguard to pull off something so… flashy.

•••

"Ikari de chikyuu wo maki kon de…!! Kaze Ryuu no Hissatsu!!" one manly voice screamed. "Choudai… Kamaitachi~!!"

With the gigantic sword on his right hand, he thrust upward as if there was an object to stab, but his action resulted in the assembly of the great cyclone, one that seemed to have the power to shake the heaven itself. The cyclone went higher and higher, until it hit the grey cloud above and cleared the sky. As the shine of morning sun penetrated and showered the broad field, the cyclone went smaller and eventually dissipated, leaving a trail of destruction around the evoker. The user of the technique, who was now badly wounded but still having his breath to keep him alive, fell to one knee and panted hard. The noble sword he held disappeared into the air, its remains were scattered by the wind. Once he was out of his exhaustion, he looked upward, smiling as he accepted the warmth of the glorious sun.

His surrounding was now clear of enemies, only he stood alone on the center of it.

"Wataru…!!" Asuna waved at him, her fan flailing in the air.

"Wataru-san!!" the young red haired mage looked so happy Wataru could swear he saw a glimmer of stars in his brown eyes.

"You nuts! Still alive?!" this time was the self proclaimed rival of his. Despite the scowl on his childish face, he clearly was happy to see that he still had his arch enemy alive.

Even if there were four figures that ran up to him, but only three voices he could hear. And after they were close, he finally realized whose voice was missing in those callings for him. The black haired girl who had a side ponytail on her hair, walked timidly behind her friends as they regarded and complimented the young man for the battle.

"…Wataru…" she finally spoke after a long silence, as it seemed that the young man refused to talk even one word if she didn't speak first. "Are you… okay?"

The said young bodyguard walked past the three most cheerful companions after ruffling the two boys head in an affectionate, brotherly manner and regarded the pigtailed girl with a bow, to come face to face with the female swordswoman, planting his deepest stare upon her. When he felt contented with his analyze, he quickly kneeled before the girl.

"I, Wataru Shinozaki, humbly inform you that I am still alive," he said, ignoring the shock on Setsuna's face for his action. "And thus, I shall leave now."

"E-eh, b-but…!" she stammered, but the young man already took a step away, showing his back to her. Only after he didn't show any intention of stopping did she pour the words that had been filling her heart for some time. "Wataru, thank you!!"

The young man stopped walking, and glanced slightly sideward. Because of the rising sun, they couldn't see what his expression is, but he clearly had an amused tone when he spoke, "You're welcome."

In a blink of eye, he already disappeared from the spot, leaving all the spectator agape at his spectacular yet sudden exit.

"_**We… are bound to meet again, right Wataru?"**_ Setsuna whispered in her mind, as she joined both her hand in front of her chest. _**"I… want to see you again…"**_

**(0)**

The big, horned demon grunted when once again he looked the reports, only disbelief was shown on his face. He was sitting in a majestic chair in front of a table with black satin as its cover. The room he was in clearly lacked light, only a dim lamp was visible hanging in the center of ceiling thus obscuring almost anything in the room. But the demon preferred this surrounding anyway, darkness always gave him the pleasant feeling.

"Damn it!!" he clenched his fist along with the report, crushing them into a clod of paper. "That old geezer, he really takes no risk, doesn't he?!"

He stood up from his chair, and walked to the opened window. The night view was one of the few things that had the ability to calm his nerves, and cooled his temper. What was more, it seemed that the full moon was kind enough to show herself so daringly on the sky, its gentle light fell upon his face, soothing him.

"Next time, I'll show them who's the boss…" he hissed, black eyes gazed afar to the north, to where the direction of Mahora Academy was. "I'll capture the princess, and I shall reign over this realm!"

He would always have another chance, and he still had many things up to his sleeve. This attack might have failed, but the next… the result would be different…

•

Don't worry if you're a little confused by this continuation, because I did make the timeline to jump at least three week, close to a month. Why? For a so simple reason, really. I'm not your usual author, I'm someone who writes based on his instinct. What my feeling say at the moment, which is what I'll write in my fic! That is the very reason why you can never predict how my story will go!

The translation of all Japanese sentences is in my profile, please go there if you want to find out.

I apologize for the inconvenience, once again. Please!! Review!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, let us say I just updated. And I don't know this is good or not, but I wrote it anyway. I write what my mood tells me, so I cannot guarantee you of this chapter's quality. **

**And now, please have a happy read!**

•

**Starting Point for the Two**

"Hey, Secchan, is there any word yet about Wataru?"

"N-no, Ojou-sama…" the question took her by surprise. "Sadly, there isn't…"

"Do you think he's hurt, Secchan?" asked the black haired girl with a sad tone. "It's been weeks now. What if something happened to him?"

"It is what's been bothering me also."

True, she knew that he was strong, even just a glimpse at his fight with Kotaro and the war they had experienced a few weeks back had elaborated just how high his ability level was. Heck, she was sure that the bodyguard was far stronger than she herself, it took no genius to know that. Yet again, this disappearance and the fact that there was no demons' attack were totally disturbing. Could he have something to do with this?

"I have to check," she mused, it was more of a promise than a statement. "For Ojou-sama's sake…"

**And for mine…**

•••

"Hm? Young Wataru?"

"Yes." Setsuna nodded her head to emphasize her question. "If I may ask, have you seen him around?"

"Why, I certainly have. He's been constantly reporting his job's result to me, after all."

"What? So… he's alright?" Setsuna asked with slight glee and relief, but her smile quickly changed into a frown when she saw the worried look on dean's face.

"I can't say quite. He seemed… devastated everytime he came in here. Of course that was understandable, considering the vast numbers of attacks we've been having these past few days…"

"Um, excuse me? But I thought—"

It hit her, so hard she stopped mid-sentence abruptly and something heavy clicked in the young girl's brain. Before the old man had any chance to say his curiosity, Setsuna already took her leave without much further ado and practically leapt all the way to the roof.

She could see that the setting sun, even the dusk was almost over for the sky started to blacken. Two pure white wings emerged from her back, they shone brightly from reflecting the blood red twilight. Intending not to waste even one second, Setsuna flapped her wings graciously before soaring high into the black, full of stars sky.

She pondered about her deduction for one more time, bringing all clues to one train of thoughts. And yes, there could only be one reason for his evanescence, he must have, all alone, dealt with those raids before they could even reach the school's ground. It had such a high possibility remembering that she would be surely able to feel, or at least had a glimpse of it if it was within the area.

"You fool…" she hissed in silence, yet cursing her own ignorance for not noticing this until now. "Why did you have to be such a lone wolf?"

•••

Even though she had expected to find something not so ordinary, but the sight she was having was far too horrible than her brain could tolerate. A nearly destroyed forest was one of the last she had in mind, the surrounding was simply… broken, with evidences so resembled something like an earthquake or even maelstrom. If possible, her eyes widened more than they already did as her sight was set on a gigantic figure in the middle of those all.

It was a snake… no, a big serpent might suffice… nah, let's just say it was a fucking huge DRAGON SERPENT!! Scaling almost 20 meters above the ground, the monstrously-sized beast was wreaking havoc on its surrounding so much we could say for certain that Mother Nature would be furious once this was over. Colored all but sinister black, its hide was shining from its glossiness and smoothness. Though it had no scales, she could surely tell that its skin was strong and sturdy. But what was far more frightening was its face. It had not only a pair of eyes, but six! Having eerie white as their color, no one could predict or guess where those eyes were directed at. The jaw looked extraordinarily strong, and when it opened, the beast showed just how sharp the armament of its mouth was.

"Are those demons crazy?! Sending such monste—KYA!"

She threw herself to the side with a strong sweep of air produced by her wings, missing a tree which was just flown from the direction of the said abomination. She gazed upward, and finally spotted her target for coming here. There, visible as only a little dot from their distance, the certain young bodyguard clothed in all black.

"Damn, this monster's fast!" now, if you would, our center of attention was now changed to the boy, who landed on the ground only for jumping high once again to avoid a lash of huge tail coming his way. "I should have known better than to underestimate an enemy!"

Four spikes, seemingly benign, appeared from the black serpent body, quickly pierced in blinding speed after solidifying themselves. His eyes was squinted into a slit, before twisting his body in such a way it could have been broken if he wasn't careful. The spears of spikes stabbed the land around him, but none of them hit their mark.

"Honoo Ryuu!!" he roared, both his hands were consumed by black and crimson energy before integrated into a densely high concentrated ki. Before he could activate the technique, however, three more spikes came along to skewer him, forcing the black clad to perform an evasive action. "Shukuchi!"

He disappeared, and once again his attacker missed its target. In a flash and not even filling a second's worth of time, four simultaneous blasts were audible while a few parts of the beast's body blown up, leaving four horrifying and gushing out black blood hole after the smoke cleared. One black haired guy came into being, once again on the ground but this time he was down on his knees, panting almost furiously. He stood right up, eyeing the demonic beast to observe its condition.

Much to his annoyance, the demon's body began to regenerate, proving his earlier suspicion.

The monster was originally weak, and particularly small, not even bigger than a bull or a tiger. At first, he sensed no explicit danger or harm, thus he took the battle lightly, in his usual way of trying not to hurt the beast. However, as they fought, he had found three things. First, the black beast seemed to materialize weapons from its body, mainly spikes that seemed quaggy at first, but once it solidified, it was as strong as steel nail. Second, no matter what attack he used, he always found the beast to be strangely unharmed, and after a few times observation, he head found out about the beast's regeneration skill.

And the third, the more energy he used against the monster, after it regenerated its size would increase. After all attacks he had inflicted, the battle was quickly gaining favor on the black serpent's side, because it was now as big as a bullet train!

"Dear me, no matter how many times I blew him up, he always healed right after!" he cursed, clenching his hands and almost drawing blood from his crushed palm. "Must I use that technique?"

His mind quickly flared with warning, as his instinct caught a movement underneath the soil. He barely missed three needles poking out of the place where he had been originally standing by kicking the ground, leaping towards the air. But his mind was too tired to concentrate for another Teleportation, and thus he couldn't evade the following attack.

"UAGH!!"

A jackhammer made of the beast body was slammed onto his from, which was now flying across the landscape and crashed to the wall of rocks. Coughing blood out of his throat, the boy was barely conscious to open his eyelids, and both his golden orbs could only watch as the black, shiny figure lifted at least four big trees, and tossed them in his direction.

His body was almost useless at the moment, it had suffered too much damage that barely standing was almost unbearable. His knees shook violently, they nearly couldn't support his weight. He forced a sad smile, resigning to his fate and whispering a sentence.

"So… this is the end, isn't it…?"

"I won't let it be," a voice answered him, before a blur of movement descended from the sky to his rescue. "Shinmeiryuu Ougi, Zantetsusen!!"

All the trees were sliced right in the middle, all of the remains fell harshly to the ground at his left and right. The boy's eyes widened in shock, not even in million years would he expect to be helped by this person. A silence fell between them for a while, before the young man's brain finally registered the event.

"Setsuna-sama…?" he was finally able to let out a croak.

"You're pretty much a fool, fighting such strong enemy by only yourself," a girlish and mellifluous voice came from the young swordswoman who stood before him, before she turned her face to him with a smile. "Really, what am I ever going to do with you?"

"W-what are you doing here, milady…?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm saving you, baka…"

"B-but—" he stopped abruptly while having his eyes widened, before pointing his index finger forward and shouted. "Setsuna-sama, watch out!!"

The girl spun her body and slashed, cleaving right through three more logs sent their way. Her lips twitched as she felt the earth rumbled, and without much further wait, five needles burst through the soil, looking for prey.

But not even a second later, she was confused slightly. Not only because she wasn't harmed even the slightest bit, but also the fact that her surrounding was bizarrely different from what she had saw just a moment ago. But when she felt a hand wrapped tightly around her hip, she finally realized why she was safe.

She was teleported.

"Wataru…" she whispered, right after they appeared behind a large tree. "Why would you do that?"

"H-huh?"

"It should be me saving you, why did you have to go and reverse it?"

The boy in black was blatantly flustered, unsure at what to say or act. But sudden pain stabbing his ribs was reason enough for the bodyguard to dodge the question, as he crouched and clutched his chest, groaning silently.

"Wataru!" the girl forgot her question and quickly kneeled beside the other person, clearly worried about his condition. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm okay, really. Just got a few wounds and cracked bones…" he said with difficulty, as if every word had brought him more and more pain. But it was necessary… the lie was. "I'm sure I will be fine…"

She just couldn't take it anymore.

"Liar…!" she snapped, slapping the young man in the face. While he was still mesmerized by the sudden action, the girl quickly clutched his clothes and buried her face in his chest, apparently sobbing. "Do you always have to lie to me?!"

How could she not be angry? He had said he just got a few wounds, but seeing his condition, that was clearly a falsehood. His face was a mess, with bruises all over and blood was still seeping at the corner of his mouth. There were cuts on his whole body, a few was still healing but most of them were new, gushing fresh blood to his black garments. A large gash was visible on his back, stretching from his right shoulder all the way to the left hip, even the sight of it frightened Setsuna right to the core. And he was the one experiencing this? For what reason?!

"Setsuna-sama, it is pleasant for you to worry about me," he hung his sentence, grabbing Setsuna's shoulder and pushed her away before standing up. "But I do not deserve it. Now if you'll excuse me…"

_Don't leave me again…  
_

"Wait!!" she screamed on sudden impulse, not even realizing why she did it. But at the very least, she knew that she didn't want him to do whatever he intended to do. "What—where are you going?!"

"To finish something," he simply answered while stepping out to the open, clenching his left hand tightly. "The mission still remains, I will complete it or die trying."

"L-let me help you!"

"No." Wataru shook his head in sad manner, before gazing to the wet black orbs of the girl. "This beast has proven itself to be far stronger than what I perceived. Not only it has an extraordinarily sturdy body, its regeneration ability also makes this demon monster almost invincible."

"T-then, how do you—"

"Do not worry, it only means I must hit it with an attack strong enough to annihilate it with one hit…" he smiled, before the ground around him burst with unbelievable amount of energy. "Thankfully, I've got just the technique…"

A bestial roar rang out through the forest indicated that his location was spotted, and Setsuna could see, to her fear, ten black lances were once again sent towards the still form of the boy.

But before she could scream her warning, she saw an oddity. Those demonic lances weren't hitting their mark, they weren't even able to reach his skin. Stopping right about a meter from the boy's body, those things' tips seemed to be incinerated by some kind of heat. But what was that?

"Honoo Ryuu…" the boy whispered, and the heat intensified till a few trees around him were suddenly lit and burned. Setsuna had to jump a few yards away to avoid being caught in flames. "Kuroi Honoo!!"

The girl's eyes widened in both admiration and amazement, as the boy showed his true capability. His whole body was now surrounded by black colored ki, and began swirling through his left arm and gathered on his fist. Its intensity was so powerful the trees were now completely consumed in flames, giving the darkness of night some light.

"Boku ha an honoo wo houmon…! Honoo Ryuu no Hissatsu…!!" he launched towards the demon in speed equal to a bullet, black energy followed him like a trail of black river. "Yami no… Maouken!!"

The explosion, as Setsuna had suspected, was huge enough to actually engulf the demonic serpent, full from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. However, being as gigantic as it was, the blast must have drowned black guy in its destructive force also. She blocked her eyes when the light of the blast became too much unbearable.

"Wataru!!" she cried out in distress and worry, eyes swiveling all over the area to search the certain young bodyguard who had disappeared (again) into the smoke of explosion. "Wataru!! Where are you?!"

A strong gust of wind swept away all the dust and cleared the air, much to her comfort. A small, almost inaudible sound of something landed on the ground had her head cocked to the left, where she saw the person of her mind. He was, as always, a mess. That last attack clearly left some consequences on him, being the most obvious, he was now shirtless and the evidence of singed cloth was visible around his waist.

"Wataru, you're okay!" she took a step forward to approach him, but suddenly stopped. There was a glint on his eyes, something she knew too well. And they'd got quite a distance, she would never reach him in time. "No… no, don't go again!!"

"I am sorry." he turned around, showing his back.

"No, Wataru!! You're too wounded to wander with that body! Please, at least come with me to Ojou-sama, she will be able to heal you!"

"But I don't want to be a hindrance."

"Why must you be so obstinate?!" she practically screamed that, because he was too far now to reach with a more quiet voice. "Why must you always refuse me?!"

"Because I have to!" he yelled back, eliciting a gasp from the young woman. She wasn't hurt from being yelled, but she was surprised to find that the gleam of his golden orbs looked so full of sadness, so rich of sorrow. "That is the only way to keep you away from this abomination of me!!"

"Wha-what…" she couldn't keep track of her train of thoughts, and now her words became a mere stutter. "W-Wataru…"

"I am sorry…" he whispered, looking more dejected than he had ever been before walking away with imbalanced steps. "I must leave…"

And he teleported away, leaving Setsuna alone with her thought in the devastated ground. Before she could repel it, the tears already strolling across her cheeks and dripped on her chin.

"You're an idiot…" she murmured in a slight choke. "Always… the entire time…"

•

**Even I don't know where this story will go, but you can expect me to write more Wataru x Setsuna from now on. I doubt there will be a fight for the next chapter, so don't count on it. **

**Just tell me if it was bad, I don't really mind. My skill at composing English and Indonesian story is practically at a whole different level, like comparing a pigeon and an F-22. If I can write English like I wrote Indonesian, however, you will find a masterpiece.**


	6. Chapter 6

Well, well, well, here I am again with another chapter, guess I've been working hard on my writing. Oh yeah, I know how cliché the scenes I've been writing at the past two chapters, but I don't think that will be the case with this one. Because I have ceased writing boring battles, and now my mood tells me to advance into a more angsty and fluffy scenes (some damned mood I have, but that's just the way I am). So, I guess you'll see more romance between the pairing of my fic, eh?

My current writing speed has also been enhanced, now I can finish a chapter by merely writing at most 4 hours, in the past I usually need 8-10 hours on end. The only thing I'm a little sad about is that I never have a laptop of my own, even though I've been working to save some money. Yeah I can buy one, but I also wanted something good, not some cheap junk like what my friends have, which usually break in only 2-3 years.

Negima is the property of our dear sensei, Akamatsu, if it is not for him we wouldn't have Negi in the first place. And please don't bother suing me because I paired Setsuna with my OC, you will only waste your money on a completely futile attempt.

Well, what are you waiting for?! Quit reading this unimportant author's note! Get to the story! Shoo, shoo!

…What the, still reading? You must be kidding me… do you need me to blast you to next Tuesday so you'd just jump this section and read the fic?

…Your eyes still on this, then you're just a crazy asshole.

GO! LEAVE!! SCRAM!!

NOOWW!!!

•

_**Affection**_

That week, Setsuna hadn't been herself. Yes, she still answered any question directed at her, and responded to anything Konoka had tried to say, but she merely lost the smile she always had when she was talking to anyone, especially her Ojou-sama. Gloomy might be the way to call it, but the young swordswoman was never seen with such face, it was something new even for the young Konoe princess herself.

"What's with Secchan as of earlier?" she asked her roommate, a young boy with an extraordinary skill in battle and wits altogether. "Don't you think she's been strange, Negi-kun?"

"Hm, I can't agree more at that," he answered while pinching his chin, contemplating in deep thought. "She looked… sad. And almost all the while too…"

"But if there was something happened, I guess we don't know anything about it then," added the girl with double pigtails who sat upon her seat in front of her studying table, diving into the conversation. "And I'm pretty sure she began acting like this after… what? One week ago?"

"Ah yes, right after I asked her about Wataru—" she stopped, her eyes widening upon realization. "That must be it! Something must have happened between them!"

"What makes you say that?" asked Asuna, now turning her seat so she was facing them.

"Well, that's the most possible answer I can think as of now…" Konoka put a palm on her cheek, a look of deep pondering fell on her lovely face. "Hmm, should I talk to her?"

Unbeknownst to her, this determination would end in something quite too good… well, for Setsuna's case, of course.

•••

"He stumbled upon a small cottage, his head wasn't registering almost anything by now. His golden eyes had lost their gleam for days, ever since he fought against that giant serpent. Being in a big city also didn't help his cause either, for he couldn't find a pure water source, and he just didn't have the strength to casually walk all over Mahora, it was too damn huge for goodness's sake! Moreover, he couldn't just take any water tap in the city, and neither was the water from rain. For what he intended on doing, he must search water that was purely came from the earth.

He knocked at the door, his eyes' visibility only at twenty five percent (everything came in mere blur). He heard something from the other side and barely noticed the door opening.

"Damn that Chachamaru. Why does she always have maintenance when someone comes?" he could only register that the voice seemed to came from a girl, and the owner obviously sounded kinda annoyed if not pissed. However, his sight had been nearly incapable of seeing her face, though he noticed long blond hairs. After all, all he was able to see right now was only blurs. "Hm? And who might you be?"

"My-my name is… Wataru…" his words were said with utmost difficulty, even his lungs were hurt only from drawing the slightest air. "M-may I… ask you… something…?"

"Is it how far you are from death?" she asked sarcastically after observing his condition. Sure he was clean, but his body was full of open wounds and he certainly suffered a severe blood loss. "I'd say… you're a few feet from it."

"N-no… it isn't that…" he replied, suddenly clutching his right ribs before an agonized look fell upon his pale face. "What I want to ask is… do you know a clean water source around here…? Something like river, or an underground water source, for example…?"

She quirked an eyebrow, what did a badly wounded man such as himself want with clean water? However, since she was sleepy and needed her rest, Evangeline would just answer so the man would be on his way and left her to her sleep. "I think there is one, just a small river to be exact. Somewhere a little further to that direction." she pointed at her left with a thumb. "Now, is there something else in your mind? Because I'm really tired…"

"A-ah, t-thank you…" he bowed his head down in apology. "I'm sorry if… I disturbed you…"

She watched the young man leave, seeing him stumbling in his steps and even leaning on to a tree after reaching one point, his breaths were quick gasps.

"That guy must be dying…" she mused quietly, but whatever concern she had on her lovely face was immediately brushed away as she yawned wide, turning her back and closed the door. "Meh, if he dies, he dies. It doesn't have anything to do with me."

A good amount of time afterwards, the young man finally found and arrived at his destination. Yet he could only feel his surrounding with his ears and skin right now, for all his other senses seemed to have become dysfunctional. A few steps ahead and he found himself tripping over a fist sized stone, something that would never happen if he was in any better condition, before falling miserably onto the stone floor. The young man mustered what slightest left from his remaining energy to crawl forward, his hands desperately searching for water.

Only after his sight became mere black landscape did his palm finally touched the water's surface. His quivering lips formed a small smile, proceeding to whisper, "Mizu Ryuu… heisei na beru ni boku wo daite… iyashi no tama…" Right after he said that, the water from the river began moving in a weird manner. It seemed like the liquid gained a life of its own, and it began creeping on the young man's body until he was completely covered (or drowned) in a big sphere of transparent liquid. A moment later, the boy lost to exhaustion and submitted to unconsciousness, and the water sphere began glowing a strange blue, before consuming the person inside completely in its bright light.

•••

"Oh, come on, Secchan. Can't you just tell me?"

"But there is nothing to tell, Ojou-sama! He and I don't have any trouble whatsoever…!"

"Yes, you both do. Because there's no way you'll act like this if you don't have a fight with Wataru."

"Why must we even put him in the equation?!" the young swordswoman snapped, her cute face scowling. "Why should I even care about him?! He always—"

"He always what?"

Setsune suddenly stopped, even her body seemed to freeze on spot. Her face indicated a shock, with wide eyes and hanging jaw. Much to her discomfort, now that she had said that, there was no way she could deny her Ojou-sama any longer.

Yes, she was angry. As much as she hated to say it, the cause of her anger was none other than a certain dashing bodyguard. For some reason, when Wataru left her behind after winning his battle against that serpent dragon, she had felt like she was… for the lacks of better word, dumped.

"**B-but, that was not the only reason…!" **she tried to argue inwardly, unwilling to admit the truth of that thought. **"He… he was wounded heavily …!! That is also the reason why I was so worried! And despite his bad condition, he still left me, who was only trying to help him!"**

While she was thinking, her best friend must try her best to conceal her confusion and amazement. Yes, she knew that her question might have been the cause, but she couldn't believe this right away. Just… how could a disciple of Shinmeiryuu, who had a very composed mind and collected personality, miss the door to her classroom and keep walking through the hallway like that?

•••

"So… he was wounded so badly upon fighting that demon beast?" she asked just to make sure.

"Yes…! And still he refused to receive my help…!" the other girl tried her best to keep calm, but it seemed futile as veins began bulging out on her temples. "I just wanted to help him, but all he has ever done is only refusing me!"

Just for the record, Konoka had succeeded in her attempt to make Setsuna confessed her problem. However, upon knowing the truth of her supposed bodyguard's condition, now she herself couldn't help but feel worried for him. As she walked in the hallway with Setsuna, her mind had been racing with many possibilities, from the best to the worst. Yet, after contemplating the facts, all she could conclude was the latter.

"That Wataru is no more that an idiot!!"

That outburst had Konoka jumped slightly in surprise, but her response was interrupted by a voice. The dark voice of Dark Evangel.

"Would you quit screaming like in the hallway like that?" the voice spoke in a manner resembling a groan, showing no attempt to hide her annoyance. "This is a damn school for God's sake, not a yelling ground…!"

"Ah, Eva-san, good afternoon!" the long haired girl greeted the Girl Queen of Darkness with her usual cheerful tone, not minding any even if she only got a "Hmph." as her reply. "We're sorry, we didn't mean to be so loud."

"Whatever," the blonde answered in a bored voice. "That aside, did I hear you girls said the name 'Wataru' just now?"

"Umm… well, yes…" Konoka asked with a frown, slightly wondering why would she asked her that. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, then I have something to tell you about him."

"What is it?" quite surprisingly, this time the one to respond was Setsuna, who seemed unable to conceal her curiosity. "What of Wataru?"

"Nothing much," the blond, chibi vampiress shrugged before continuing. "I just want to inform you that he might already be DEAD…"

"What?!" the two of them were surprised as hell, their face went completely pale and broke into a cold sweat. Realizing the proximity between this information and the bodyguard's grim wellbeing as of lately, even if they didn't want to believe it, they were forced to anyway.

"H-hey now, d-don't joke about something like that!" Konoka tried to fight the statement, however, the only thing that was let out from her mouth was merely a squeak with no strength. "W-Wataru can't be…! He wouldn't…!"

"He wouldn't what? Die? He is still a living being, you know. Mortals like you are bound to die sooner or later anyway."

"W-Wait just a minute…!" the swordswoman had to try her best not to show the trembling of her voice, nevertheless, the fear decorating her face said otherwise. "Couldn't you explain first?! Just what in the world happened to him?!"

"Nah, I don't really know. But he came to my cottage just this late evening to ask something about a clean water source."

"Water source? What would he want with something like that?" Konoka asked with confusion, having trouble finding the connection between this and Wataru's _supposed_ death.

"Beats me. What I did know back then was the fact that he was simply… dying. That guy's face was as pale as any corpse, and he was barely able to breathe. By the way he walked, it took no genius to know that he had many severe wounds all over his body…" the old but seemingly young vampiress sighed at the end of her explanation, feeling tired from all the talking. "There's just no way someone with such grave condition would survive without being healed. Have you two said your goodbyes to him?"

Before she got any answer though, a gust of wind already brushed past her, indicating a fast and swift movement from someone who had enough with the useless talking and just let her worry took control of her action. Evangeline just sighed quietly when Konoka also ran past her, the wind was still there to flutter her long blond hair and messed with her nose. Closing her eyes and holding an urge to sneeze, she took a note that maybe, just maybe, she needed a haircut.

•••

"Wataru!" she exclaimed loudly, ignoring the fact that she was in the middle of a forest, with her eyes swiveling here and there to find the right direction. "Where are you?!"

She stopped running after a few moments, knowing her try at screaming the man's name wouldn't do any good now. Feeling that her attempt would be futile if she kept wasting time, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, now trying to use another method. Her system began to calm down and her lungs' drawing adjusted to normal value, as she felt herself to be calmer the girl focused almost her entire concentration to her ears, trying to enhance her audio senses even by the slightest.

She needed to find one particular sound… and it was the noise of moving water, namely river or something similar.

It took her less than two minutes after her clearing of mind, to be finally able to track the noise. It was faint at first, but gaining loudness as she kept searching, though by some time it became fainter indicating that she took a wrong guess of direction. After a while, her steps had escalated into a run, her brain frantically urged her to keep going faster and faster, as time was now of the essence.

No… it was more like that time wasn't on her side.

The sky above her was blood red, the color quickly degrading into a darker shade, indicating that the darkness of night was fast approaching. The sunset was already had its brim on the horizon, the moon preparing herself to snuggle in her seat at the dark space, accompanied by the stars to give a gentle shine upon blackened earth. It was a beautiful view for all who made a hole from their time to gaze at it, however all this beauty was lost on one certain swordswoman, as all of her attention was now focused on one thing only.

Setsuna dreaded the fact as to why she had to take a few wrong turns before finally running on the right path. The sound of splashing became louder and louder each time she took a step, thus she braced herself into a sprint. Running like she was holding onto dear life, she didn't take note at how many cuts she had received on a few collisions with trees' branches that stuck out like poking needles. Yet she couldn't care less, for her mind and soul had been set on only a word.

…

Wataru…

…

Wataru.

…

Wataru!

…

She finally reached the end of her short but tiring journey, beads of sweat forming at her forehead, telling the world just how much she had ran this past hour. Her head cocked frantically to any direction possible, almost twisting her neck in the process. But again, she couldn't care less, because her biggest attention now wasn't directed to her own being.

Suddenly, her body and heart froze as her sight fell upon a motionless, floating body right at the other side of the river. Only half of the person's body was in water and the other half was rest ashore, he was facing down thus obscuring his face, but his black clothes and unmistakable aura, if so weak, was screaming his obvious identity to the world.

Her quivering lips trembled, trying to say something although she knew it would be pointless. Twelve seconds passed accurately before she was able to say the only thing registered in her brain.

"WATARU!!" she cried out her loudest scream ever, her suddenly weak feet quickly running to the young man's direction, plunging herself into the water. She didn't care about the coldness she was feeling on her skin as she crossed the river, she didn't even begin to care about the heavy wet feeling on both her school uniform and shoes, what she wanted was all but reaching the still body of the boy she cared about.

She could feel tears building up in her black eyes, before long two streams of warm liquid already running down her cheeks the falling down into the river, creating tiny ripples in the process. Now, she couldn't deny that she was crying, and neither the reason for it. This turn of event was practically her fault, if only she was a little bit more stubborn on her side, maybe that day he would have surrendered to her wish. And it would have completely prevented this blasphemy.

The splashing from her movement came to a stop, as she ceased hurling forward. Putting two of her small, if trembling, hands upon the wet black garments and pulled the owner completely to the riverbank. Once there, she quickly flipped the muscular body, only to see pale face with closed eyes regarding her. Not letting herself to go into any conclusion by now, Setsuna tried to cup his cheeks with her warm palms, trying to both measure his temperature and give him at least a little warmth.

Yet he was simply… cold.

"Wataru!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, but the body kept rigid as if oblivious to any stimuli it was given. Evangeline was right, that face looked like it was completely drained of blood. But she wasn't stopping, she couldn't stop trying… she was just unwilling to let him go away, not now. "Wataru, p-please wake up!! Please, I-I beg you!!"

She took hold of his both cold hands with her own, and began repeatedly rubbing them together to produce some heat. Occasionally, she would put her heated palms at his face, desperate to inject some warmth back to the bodyguard's flesh. She would never give up now, because she could still sense (not feel or hear) some breathing being done by his lungs, even if was too weak to be put into consideration. If possible, his state wasn't even more than a comatose patient.

Even if her entire efforts had seemed futile, Setsuna still had yet to cease her ministration. Her eyes were locked to the pale, but handsome face. It was the same face she had always seen everytime she was in deepest trouble, a face that would give her a frown of worry each time she tried to thrust herself into any kind of danger, even if the smallest amount of it. It was the exact same face that had looked at her with dread and agony featuring every corner of it when the owner had been heavily wounded after the fight with the demon beast, the one that had said that she shouldn't have ever associate herself with him, ultimately refusing any help offered by the swordswoman.

But the owner of that face was the one who had always showed concern for her, and not any small amount at that. Even though she couldn't see or hear it, Setsuna knew that he had always been watching her and her Ojou-sama, constantly guarding them against any ill intentions. He was the only person… no, the only man she ever had in her mind in so much time and so many occasions. It wasn't once she had actually seen him in her dreams, and there, he was smiling at her like he had once after the big war.

And she didn't want to lose that… she didn't want to lose him, not now when she was still not ready. Setsuna wanted to see that smile once again, she wanted to see those golden orbs one more time, she wanted to be enveloped in those strong arms again…

She just wanted to have him back…

But now, how could she accomplish that?

•••

She stayed there, right beside the bodyguard. Her eyes were still dripping warm and salty liquid, but instead of crying she was now weeping, adding her tears with a sob. She clutched the boy's head next to her chest as if it was the most precious thing she had in the whole world, the droplets of her tears constantly falling to his face, soaking it. Her trembling lips occasionally called his name, as if believing that it would help in bringing him back from the brim of death he was at.

Moving him was out of option, because he was already too weak so doing that would be like pushing him much closer to demise, she also considered sending her shikigami, but with her current emotion's state, she doubted that the shikigami would last long enough to meet anyone, not to mention the danger of it meeting with any mundane.

Thus, she decided that all she could do was to stay right where she was, beside him. Wrapping her arms around his head and embraced him close to her body, she dedicated every moment… every second, to add more warmth into the cold body. She ignored her own body condition, striving herself to use any heat left in her body and transfer it to the boy.

"Wataru… W-Wataru…" she called for him again, as if trying to halt him from crossing the River Styx, sobbing all the while. "P-please, I beg you… c-come back. Come back to me…"

Whether it was divine intervention or just God's messing with the couple, we couldn't be sure, but this time, her calling had worked, as his left eyelids twitched ever so slightly. He heard her, that was certain.

"Don't leave me… I-I don't want to lose you…" she wept again, stroking his black, damp hair with her pointy fingers. "Wataru…"

Now, his left hand trembled in a simplest manner, before its finger began wriggling, yet the movement still went unnoticed by the young swordswoman. Her obliviousness continued for some time, until she could feel something warm brushed against the base of her neck, where Wataru's face should have been. Feeling hopeful and scared altogether, she pulled back, her eyes dead set on the young man's face…

"Wataru…?" she quietly asked, and waited. After a moment that seemed to stretch into an eternity, the lips trembled slightly, before parting and said one word…

Only one word.

"Setsuna…?"

She could feel herself being filled with enormous joy, one that she had never felt her entire life because it was simply too great. Her lips quickly formed a smile, a happy and somewhat delirious one, before once again hurling his head deep into her embrace, now crying out her gratitude to any deity that had been so willing as to return Wataru to her. Her tears were changed from those of sadness to happiness, all the cold she had been feeling was washed away by the relief.

The young man himself was a bit confused, if dazed, as to why did he end up in the swordswoman's arms? If his memory was right, the last thing he remembered was that his technique enveloped him, before the entire world became black. He also wondered why did she cry, and why did she hug him like he was a dead man back to the world?

Oh, he just didn't know how accurate his guess was.

"S-Sethshunha-shama…?" he managed to croak just that, his words muffled because his face was crushed against the girl's chest. His cheeks, although invisible to the other, was burning with heat as he realized where it was positioned, and the small mounds pressed on his face weren't helping either. "Umh, ith ish a litthle hardh brheathingh hherhe…"

She quickly broke the hug, and looked down to him before resting his head on her lap. After a few moments of silence, he brought his courage to ask a simple question, "What are you doing…?"

The question left the girl slightly chuckling, a bit humored by how innocent and confused his face was now. Even though the same face had been pale as zombie just tens of minutes ago, she just couldn't find any similarity between the expressions she had seen then with the one she was seeing now.

"I'm not letting you go again," she said as she gave him a quick peck on his forehead, mustering magnificent courage she didn't even know she had, considering just how shy she had usually been. However, her little show of affection had left the young man with red face, finding himself in no condition to form any coherent words. She reached for his cheeks and began caressing him, running her soft and smooth skin, if a bit cold, upon his bewildered feature, before saying what she'd said long ago when she'd saved his life. "Honestly, what am I ever going to do with you?"

And she smiled, a very tender and caring one.

•

**Omake**

G: Oh God, I have a nosebleed just by imagining being caressed by Setsuna… Wataru, you damn lucky bastard!! I'm gonna kill you the next time we meet!!

W: Wha? But I don't even know what's happening! Could someone tell me what am I doing on her lap?!

G: Don't yell as if you don't like it, asshole! I would even kill to get to do that, and what? You received so much concern just by getting in death's throes once?!

W: I was dying? When? How?

G: Either you are just too stupid for your own good, or you're just asking me to kick your butt… you had all those severe wounds and you still asked me how?!

W: Hmm, don't think they were severe, though. Well, maybe they kinda messed with my movement, but I have always gotten those kinds of wounds each time I do my mission…

G: *sweatdropped* You can't possibly mean that, right? How can you still live up until now?

W: Maybe I am just lucky? Then again, I don't think—

K: Heey, Wataru~! Let's have a bath together~!

*Suddenly something bumped against the ground, the author looked below and sighed in exasperation.*

G: You know, Konoka? Make more jokes about having a bath together again, that nosebleed of his would become a stronger force than any enemy he has faced…

K: Ehh?! But I only want to have him scrub my back~!

G: Don't whine to me, and if you're really, REALLY planning on doing that, I suggest you buy a coffin and plan a burial first. This guy is hell of a shy young man, and he'll surely die of nosebleed just by seeing your bare body…

S: *carrying a box of tissues* Hey, mind helping me here? His nosebleed just won't stop and I think it's beginning to create a puddle…

G & K: Coming!!

•••

Just for the record, G was me, W was Wataru. K meant Konoka, and S meant Setsuna. And I didn't made that up, that was the real me, how I usually talk in public.

Now for the real end-of-the-chapter author's note. Hey, was that good? Were those scenes also clichés? I sure hope not so. This story will become less action and more passion from now on, as I have seen that battles doesn't seem to earn me more review (lilfriend400, you're really a sweetheart for keeping reviewing every chapter! Thanks!!).

That last part, what I meant was when she saved Wataru from almost receiving a hit from all those logs sent by the dragon serpent. If that was a bit confusing, then I apologizing to you deeply.

Any kinds of review, I will accept, just make me know that I am not being ignored. If you have questions, please feel free to ask! And please know that no signed review will be left unanswered, I am not the kind of ungrateful person who doesn't thank other's hospitality.

Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Why do I always write fluff in a speed so different from when I write action?! Damn, I am supposed to be a man, yet I've still got a knack at writing romance stuff!

…Oh well, who says a man cannot be romantic? Or should I say, sweet? Don't you agree, readers?

Hm, some might have thought that Setsuna's current behavior is too bold that it makes her kind of OOC. But I personally think that is not the case. If see back at the scene between her and Negi on the zeppelin, from the Mahora Fest arc, you will see that our Setsuna, while not extreme, is also a tsundere. Yeah, I said tsundere, so don't go into denial city. She's always been acting polite and proper whenever around everyone else, yet when she's alone with Negi, our swordswoman is quite daring and bold on her side. From that, I conclude that I should make her, in this story at the very least, acts differently around Wataru.

Time for Disclaimers: We all know that no author will be ever getting his or her hands upon the real script of Negima, or there will be havoc in the whole world of Mahora. That includes me.

Do not hesitate to go forward because I will give you a freakin' flying kick if you don't… NOW GO!!

•

_**When We're Together**_

She held him by his right arm as while he tried to stand up. His feet were a bit wobbly at first, yet regaining their strength as he kept straightening himself, a bit desperate to prove he was alright. However, the young woman still looked at him with those doubtful black orbs, even more so as he stumbled a bit just by losing his concentration slightly.

"See?" the girl said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, her pink lips curving upward and slightly to one side into a mocking smirk. "You're still too weak to walk without any leverage."

"Ugh…" he grunted, quite disheartened by the fact of how he needed this much help just to stand up. "I'm sorry to be such a burden, Setsuna-sama…"

"Aw, come on, it's not that bad," she assured him, smiling sweetly. "Though I just have to ask, what in the world were you doing in a river? Y'know, if I didn't wake you up in time, you'd have been dead from the low temperature…"

"You didn't see?" he asked her with a quirked eyebrow, sighing quietly as he only received a confused look with slightly tilted head from the swordswoman… even though she looked extremely cute by doing just that. "Haven't you noticed anything, ANYTHING at all, different from me?"

She closed their distance by a few centimeters, because they were so close from the starts to begin with. While she was looking closely at him with a bit squinted eyes, Wataru couldn't prevent the dark blush creeping on his slightly pale cheeks, feeling quite disturbed by having her observing with such intensity.

Realization finally slapped Setsuna hard as she formed a big 'O' with her mouth, eyes widening and jaw hanging.

"Your wounds! They're gone!"

"…Took you long enough." he mumbled, trying to shift his face away as to hide his quickly apparent blush.

"But how?" she asked in curiosity. "I don't remember seeing any healer on my way here…"

"Well, of course you didn't see anyone. As a matter of fact, I actually healed them myself…"

"Eh? By what means?"

"You didn't think I came to this river just to die, did you?" he said with an exasperated sigh, feeling dejected at how much he was underestimated… or that was what he thought. "Using a technique of mine, I can—hey, wait a minute…"

He suddenly brought his free right hand up, as the left was still occupied by the girl's tight grip, to grab a hold of her chin and cocked her face upward. When she realized it, his face was already so close that she could feel his warm breath upon her feature.

"H-he smells so good…" she mused in astonishment, not even aware of her hot, blushing face as she continued her appraisal. "And he's just so good looking… that I feel myself melting…"

"Why are there cuts in your face?" she was snapped out of her own world by his sudden question. As she looked carefully, the girl was a bit surprised to find intense seriousness filling up his face, if not anger. "Did someone hurt you? Tell me who, I swear I will pay back whoever did this, with thousands interests…!"

"Eh, what?" she was a little taken aback at his rock hard expression, seeing at how much anger building inside the young man. However, this unexpected reaction triggered a playful side of Setsuna to appear, as she decided to tease him instead of righting the misunderstanding. "It was you. You did this to me…"

"M-me?" if anything, there was no bigger shock one could have than what we could see from the young man's face, he was just so surprised that it even subsided his anger for a good while. Yet a moment later, his bewildered expression was replaced by a frightening self hatred. "Then, lend me your sword, Setsuna-sama! I'll perform hara-kiri, right here and now!!"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Wataru, I was kidding…!" Setsuna tried her hardest to hold it back, yet she still failed to keep a stifled giggle from leaving her mouth. Seeing how he took that tease so seriously was just too hilarious to ignore, especially when his face became cutely flustered. "C'mon, that was a joke. I mean, how could you even hurt me, if you were unconscious from the first place?"

He relaxed his tense muscles, before letting out a heavy sigh and a groan he didn't even know he had. Why did he always get worked up whenever she saw her hurt? Hell, he'd not even think twice of cutting himself down if he dared to make even the tiniest cut on her skin, let alone this many cuts. He might have become a minced meat by his own weapon.

"You sure are cruel, you know that?" she smiled even wider at the sight of him pouting, for it was something far too childish for a composed, if too humble, bodyguard such as him. The young man looked briefly at their holding hands, before leading her to the river. "Let me take care of those wounds for you, Setsuna-sama…"

"Eh, what—"

"Just be quiet for a minute, will you?" he told her as he kept pulling her. Upon reaching the water, he crouched and put his right palm at its surface, barely touching the slightly splashing liquid. "Heisei na beru ni boku wo daite… Iyashi no Tama."

The area around his hand suddenly shone with a bright blue light, before forming three snake-like forms which floated in the air, approaching the now scared girl. She looked at Wataru who strangely kept himself calm, nodding once as if assuring her that it'd be perfectly fine. Although somewhat relaxed, the girl still shuddered a bit when the water touched her skin, as she became slightly panicked when the water proceeded to cover her completely in a perfectly round ball shape.

"Do not worry, you can breath in there," his information calmed the girl down, who was ready to shriek in fear that she had let herself be drowned without so much of a struggle. She looked at him with interest, saying a silent question about what would happen next. "This sphere will heal your wounds in only a matter of seconds, at most one minute. Because your wounds aren't the least severe, though there are many."

Setsuna was beginning to feel a soft, squishy feeling on her skin, like being pressed by multiple cushions. It tickled her a bit, yet somewhat felt comfortable as if being caressed by someone. Her body was completely wrapped water, yet it felt warm by some means, especially when she realized that two golden orbs of Wataru were staring at her so observantly. Even though Setsuna was fully clothed, she couldn't help but feel like she was being stripped to nude by his sharp gaze, compelling her blush to deepen ever so darker.

Before she even knew it, the pleasant sensation of that healing technique had ceased, leaving the water sphere to be broken with a loud splash. The whole activity left her body completely clean of any wound, though it was a bit cold considering how wet she was now, which further deepened as a gust of night chill brushed past her skin. However, her cheeks were still as warm as ever, as she couldn't bring herself to meet the golden orbs that had been inspecting her condition again and just kept locking her gaze to the stone ground. Yet he just stared at her with obvious confusion, slightly wondering if there was something so interesting on the ground that he couldn't find, unaware of the girl's embarrassment. His obliviousness left her slightly mad at him for being such a dense and insensitive of a woman's feeling, though she still too embarrassed to even meet his gaze or to snap at him.

"Are you okay?" Wataru questioned, the worry in his voice unmistakable. "Is it cold? Did the healing fail? Are there still wounds on you?"

Setsuna didn't answer, just silently grabbing his right hand again and squeezed it tight, before began walking away from the ever splashing river. While the boy was evidently flustered by her sudden and unexpected boldness, Setsuna just smiled mildly with the blush still on her face.

"S-Setsuna-sama…?"

"Just be silent for now, alright?" she cut him, glancing slightly at him just to show a bit of her enormously sweet smile. "…You idiot…"

•••

"So…" he hung his sentence. "…Just WHY are you clinging onto me like this again?"

The couple was now walking side by side upon a small pathway they had come across right after leaving the river area, even though their distance was far too disturbingly close for the young bodyguard's comfort. For goodness' sake, she was clutching onto his right arm so close to her chest as if he was a freaking lifesaver on the rescue! And despite his effort to break free, she just kept pinning him as if he was a damn fragile glass vase that would break if she let go.

"It is necessary," she reasoned with a disturbingly straight face, as if this activity was an everyday bath to her. "If I don't do this, you will leave me again."

"For the umpteenth time, and I believe it's the freaking twentieth times already, I. Won't. Escape!"

"I don't believe you," she replied his outburst simply, almost making Wataru to face vault on the ground if not for her hands that was still holding him straight.

"Why?!" he cried out in annoyance, his left eye twitching slightly from all the stress.

"You're a liar," she answered again while looking at him knowingly. "You've always been, and I don't think it will be any different this time…"

"B-but this just looks plain wrong!" the boy exclaimed loudly, yet somehow his wide eyes and annoyed face just looked so cute that Setsuna felt giggling all of a sudden. "And what in the world is so funny?! C'mon, Setsuna-sama, anyone who sees this will surely misunderstand!"

"Need I remind you that we're in the middle of a forest? No one will see us."

"T-that's… even that sounds so perverted!" he flinched at his own words, imagining something that was soo~ wrong in any proper way. "What assurance do I have that you won't, in all honesty, rape me?! Or the other way around, for that matter?!"

"Because I know that I won't, and I know that you won't too," she answered him calmly, her voice holding too much confidence for the young man to be contented, so much that he found himself in the state of shock. "You'd kill yourself first before even hurting me."

"H-how can you be so sure?" he asked curiously, because he just couldn't begin to understand how she was always right on the mark whenever it came to the matter regarding his behavior or action. "

"I just know you that well," she smiled cutely while saying that, forcing a beat to skip in Wataru's heart and a blush to creep on his face. "Now, less talking more walking. We don't want to get frozen from the wind, do we?"

"A-ah, y-yes, we don't…" he answered, far too obediently than his liking. Even Wataru himself was surprised at by how submissive he became just by a smile from the black haired girl. Then again… that was just how weak he was in front of the girl, he would never be able to oppose her will, not from distance this close, that was.

For a few more minutes, they were only walking in a comfortable silence, each of them was somehow contented just by having the other nearby, not to mention they were actually arms in arms. However, as the seconds passed by the night became colder and colder, with the wind blowing and brushing them every once in a while. Even if the young man was pretty resilient to cold for being too accustomed at doing outdoor missions, the girl could just take that much. Despite her undying effort and unwillingness to submit, her body was still human's, she couldn't help but shudder when the chilling breeze slipped under her clothes and groped her petite form. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the ever so attentive boy whom she clung herself onto.

"Is it cold?" he asked worriedly, stopping their track so he could take a good look at her condition, even going as far as to touch the girl's right cheeks with his left hand. "My God, your temperature is fast dropping…!"

"I-I'm okay…! L-let's juts walk faster, s-so we can get out of this forest quickly…!"

"I agree, but not before I do something about this first…" he lifted his left hand and drew his power, as the girl felt a surge of energy concentration upon his aura. It began flowing from all of his body and gathered on his left free palm, before saying, "Shira ha junsui sano shoku…! Honoo Ryuu, Shiroi Honoo…!"

His hand shone brightly, its white light illuminated the forest, intense enough to even create shadows from the trees. Once it faded out, there was nothing left but four small orbs in a tennis ball size, floating on the top of his open palm. The four orbs of white colored flame flew even higher before suddenly spreading into four different altitudes, one at their knee level, hip, chest, and lastly, neck. A simple gesture with his index finger was all Wataru needed to get the four balls to start revolving around them in a horizontal orbit. The bodyguard shifted his attention to the girl, who was far too drowned in amazement to form any coherent word.

"So, what do you think?"

"Wow…" a bit difficult at first, yet she managed to find her voice and broke out of her stupor to utter her astonishment. "Not only warm, they are also so beautiful…"

"Are they? And for your information…" he hung the sentence, extending a hand and grabbed one of the ball shaped flame, much to Setsuna's surprise and worry. However, when he opened his fist and released to orb to revolve back, his hand was left completely unharmed. "This white flame doesn't burn…"

"You never cease to amaze me, do you?" she asked as they once again walked forward, accompanied by the four revolving orbs that warmed their surrounding, much to their please. The four flames even lighted their path, giving the couple a much better look at the forest around them. If they looked upward, they'd have noticed that the moon was right above them, informing the two just how late their little encounter had taken them. Yes, as long as Wataru was beside her, Setsuna couldn't ignore more. "I also saw you using black colored fire back then, just how many techniques do you have actually?"

"Well, now that you ask, I've never counted them before…" he replied with a shrug, looking quite nonchalant about the issue. "They're quite versatile, I must admit. And despite the number of abilities I have come to master, I'm sure they are still many I've yet to learn."

"I see. So what's the difference between your black and white flames? In details, if you would."

"Hm, my Shiroi Honoo is somewhat convenient, a technique I've come to regard as 'tool'. It has the ability to change temperature to my liking, from warm to hot or vice versa, though I cannot make it cold. Yet this technique burns not at any living being, though it still incinerate anything that doesn't live, like wood, leaves, you get the idea. It also solidifies upon my will, and despite the fact that it is kinda hard to control, Shiroi Honoo can be used to form many useful things like rope, leverage, or even a floating panel for me to stand on. The only weakness it has, is that it takes too much energy to summon, thus I cannot use it so often."

"What about the black one?"

"Kuroi Honoo is an epitome of destruction, its power is completely harmful thus I recognize it as 'weapon'. It is capable of destroying even a meter thick concrete wall just by the simplest offensive technique, and it melts iron and steel much, much faster than any flame in the world. But that's exactly the problem…"

"What problem?" she frowned at the sight of him being so serious yet exasperated all of a sudden.

"You saw just how devastating it could be, didn't you? Kuroi Honoo is an ability that occupies even much more concentration than its counterpart just to control its path of destruction," he looked down at Setsuna, who was now wearing confused look on her lovely face, which again made the young bodyguard feel like slapping his own forehead. "I mean, just a slight miss or error in my reign over its usage, then BOOM! I'm a fried meat."

"Ehh?! But that's just… deadly!"

"Yeah, frightening, isn't it?" he nodded knowingly, yet somehow keeping his calmness in check. "That's precisely why I hinder myself from using it too much. Even the move I used against that dragon serpent was merely a medium level technique. However, if I were to use it in full force…"

"W-what would happen?"

"Um, let me calculate it first…" he shut his eyes tight and cocked his head slightly upward, free palm upon his chin in deep pondering. Setsuna looked at the boy with tremendous disbelief. Why kind of annihilation was he thinking that he even needed a calculation, a fucking CALCULATION, for it?! "Hm, the whole forest, which is roughly somewhere around ten percent of Mahora's ground, if not more, would be obliterated in an instant, with me along in it."

She abruptly stopped walking, for she just couldn't register the information right away. For heaven's sake, ten percent of Mahora would cover, at the very, VERY least, a kilometer width! Only one attack could hold so much power as to destroy an area of radius that large?!

She looked up at him yet again, still not believing what she had heard from his mouth. So much hidden potential, so much concealed strength, so much untold force. And this was the guy who had always kneeled before the almost everyone, saying that he was as weak as a microbe? She knew it, this Wataru was just a liar. Even though his lies were supposed to be good natured, they were still untrue things.

"Wataru…?"

"Yes, Setsuna-sama?"

"You're a monster." Setsuna said without even a moment of hesitation.

"…That hurt."

•••

"May I ask again, what are we doing here?"

The young man in black asked in exasperation, there was a frown on his forehead and his left brow was twitching in annoyance. He had thought that once they were out of the forest, she'd go back home to her dorm and he would finally be free from her grasp. Yet his hope was destroyed when she led him to walk into a different direction, saying that it wouldn't be appropriate for a girl to be back so late and the two of them should search another place to stay overnight.

A shrine was the last thing the bodyguard had expected, and she reasoned that this temple was the property of her female classmate, who usually accompanied the swordswoman in her demon exorcising mission, with a proper payment of course. The classmate went by the name Mana Tatsumiya, the last part being also the name of the temple.

Mana had once said to Setsuna that she could borrow her place anytime in her needs, as long she took good care of the place and left everything not in disarray. She thought this was just the best time to take up on that offer, especially since the female marksman had a mission on faraway place for tonight and tomorrow, it was the weekend, after all. When she searched the place, she'd found that this so called shrine was quite complete in its facilities. There were showers, a wide hall, even an ofuro at the back of the temple, though they only found one set of futon. This was a perfectly nice place to settle in, she mused.

But of course, she still had to deal with the bodyguard, who didn't seem to take this idea quite well. She didn't blame him though, she herself was honestly shocked at how bold she was when she opted this course of action, considering they would be completely alone in this shrine, and no one knew about them being here… in many meanings, it was dangerous.

"Spending the night, what else?"

"No, I clearly understood that, the first time you said it…" his broad shoulder was beginning to tremble at this point, an outburst seemed inevitable. "What I want to know is… WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU LET ME TAKE YOU BACK TO YOUR DORM?!!"

"Shh, don't make so much noise, will you? Even if nobody is here, that doesn't mean we can be noisy," she put her index finger on his lips, silencing him completely. Setsuna pretty much ignored his snap, which thoroughly irritated the young man even more.

"That is why I ask! How come we spend the night here if I can just take you home?!!"

"Well, that would mean I cannot watch over you again. And I just can't afford to have you leaving and out of my reach again."

"Okay, okay. I accept that," he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger to show what slight headache he was having, before snapping his eyes open again and glared at her. "But could you let go of my hand now?! Heck, we've been holding hands like this from the forest, and why would you need to hold my hand while preparing a futon like that?!"

"Because you will have a chance to escape that way, and that is the last thing I want for today," she answered simply, but what could she do? She was too scared of losing sight of him again… she just wanted to be with him a little longer. "And the fact of you being a liar doesn't help even the slightest."

"Okay, let's do this," he raised his free left hand at his head level, his palm facing forward. "I, Wataru Shinozaki, promise that I will not escape from thee, Setsuna Sakurazaki."

"…I still can't believe you."

"Okay then, how about this?!" he raised his hand even higher, his voice getting louder and louder until it was practically an exclamation. "I SWEAR that I will never, ever, escape from thee, my lovely mistress, unless I want to die miserably and suffer in hell!"

"…Fine," she let go of her fingers' grip, though reluctantly done. Even after she let go of him completely, her eyes were still looking at him as if fearing the boy would disappear any moment. "You stayed… I'm surprised…"

"Of course I stayed, what do you think I did just now? It was a promise, and I don't plan on breaking it," he smiled wide at the freedom of his limb, before lowering himself and opened the closet to get the futon they were supposed to bring to the temple's hall. "Now, lead the way, milady."

"Um, you just go first, I'll prepare the bath…" she said while began walking to the back of temple, yet after twelve steps she quickly turned around again. "Oh yeah, one thing…"

"What now?"

"Don't even think about escaping. If you do, I will not forgive you, ever."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet it still held the strength to actually make the boy shudder a little. Despite all the pressure he received from the girl, by some means his heart felt much more warmer and a smile crept upon his feature.

"Such a forceful girl, yet I am the only one who get to see that side of her…" he mused quietly, and amusedly, before hurling the futon from the closet and put it on his shoulder, closing the closet using his right foot before walking to the middle of the dark hall. After laying it down and straightened the whole set, he looked around to search for some lights. There were four candles being set on each corner of the hall, and a set of them in front of the altar. Wataru smiled, seeing this as an opportunity to practice his ranged technique, as he opened his right index and middle fingers while closing the rest.

"Honoo Ryuu, Hidan!" suddenly, a fire appeared in the top of his two fingers, yet it was only as small as a peanut. He grinned, before aiming the fingers upon the first target and murmured loudly. "Utte…!"

The small sized flame suddenly launched forward in a speed equal to a sniper bullet, so quick that it actually disappeared from sight. However, the candle was lit up, indicating that the techniques had succeeded its purpose. Wataru grinned even wider, his golden eyes looking around him.

"There are… 8 targets to aim…" he lowered his hips and got ready to start the whole thing again. "Even a simple technique needs exercising, right?"

He suddenly spun around and five things flashed with only one typical whizzing sound, as on the other end of the room all five candles in front of the altar were already flared up, almost at the same time.

"Hm, I can still shoot multiple projectiles while keeping my accuracy intact, yet I've slowed down a little…"

Once again he spun, though this time he kept spinning madly like a freaking generator, when reached the top speed, three consecutive shots were audible in the room, before the whole place was fully lighted, if a little dim. He sighed in satisfaction, feeling contented with his work.

"…What the hell are you doing…?" a greatly menacing voice spoke from behind him, as he suddenly went rigid and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Playing so happily, aren't we?"

"S-S-Setsuna-sama…?" he turned around to face the young swordswoman, though her face from the nose upward was obscured by shadow with only her feral smirk visible, adding to the boy's fear. "I-I can explain…"

"Oh? And what do you need to explain, anyway?" the visible lips moved as the words rang out in the frighteningly quiet room, Wataru could have swore he had seen a scene like this in horror movie long ago. "That while I was busy preparing the bath for both of us, you were playing 'light the candles'?"

The girl with a side ponytail decorating her black hair approached the frightened boy by a step, starting to lift a hand towards his face. His mind was spinning like mad, frantically searching for an excuse that would possibly get him out of this life and death situation. His time was fast running out, yet the young bodyguard had yet to find a decent base for his action, regretting grimly of what he had done earlier.

"**Holy crap, is this the time for my death?!"** he exclaimed inwardly, his heartbeat a torrent of drum. Something clicked in his mind when the hand was a mere inch from his face, yet it was only a realization that he had no hope in surviving the punishment. **"Aw shuck, I just hope it happens swiftly…"**

However, the deadly attack never came, and a second later, Wataru felt throbbing pain on his nose, he opened his eyelids only to see it being pinched by Setsuna. The young swordswoman was smiling at him in a playful manner, even going as far as to laugh at him amusedly before letting go of his now-red nose.

"So… that was also a joke…?" he groaned in annoyance. The girl kept letting out a stifled giggle as the young man glared at her. "I really thought you were gonna kill me, you know…"

"Oh, come on, Wataru~. Quit being so uptight…!" he was still pouting as she kept laughing until tears were coming out of her eyes. "You're too serious for your own good…!"

"Says someone who was so unwilling to let go of my arms before I swore to not go…" he mumbled quietly, yet participating the girl in her laugh with his own chuckle. "You should speak for yourself, Setsuna-sama…"

"Ehehe, enough with the jokes. Now get yourself a nice soak, the bath is ready."

"Hm?" he looked at her questioningly as she went past him, opening the closet again. "Have you taken it yourself?"

"Haven't, but I need to get a few things first," she glanced back at him, giving the young man a reassuring smile. "Just go first, I'll join eventually."

"O… kay…?" he wasn't quite sure if that statement didn't have a double meaning, however he decided that he was only imagining too far. "I'll be going then…"

"Clean yourself well!"

•••

Wataru stepped into the bathroom, finding it to be fashioned in quite the same way with the hall, except that it was lighted only by the usual grayish white candles instead of the red ones he had found in the shrine, though this was kinda relaxing. He slipped out of his black jacket and took an observant look at the garment, cringing slightly at the number of cuts that had found their way to his favorite clothes. A few moment of thinking, he stepped outside to throw the damaged dress into the garbage can, deciding that it wasn't suitable for a wear any longer. He looked at his pant, still okay even if there were a few cuts as well but they were too small for anyone to notice, and his white undershirt was completely fine with no apparent damage, if stunk a little.

The bodyguard stripped himself from all articles of clothing before throwing all the dirty garments into the basket Setsuna had prepared, his hand picking up the towel in the shelf and wrapped the cloth around his waist to protect his modesty. He warily knew that he was alone in the small building, but being completely nude always made him feel strangely vulnerable, and by doing this he made sure that his pride would be protected if any mishap was to be done.

The half naked bodyguard sat on a small seat in front of a water tap, it was placed on the middle of the space as there was only one present. Wataru placed a bucket under it before turning the thing on, the sound of water flow filling the room for a moment before he placed another one under the tap, taking the filled bucket up and poured the water to the top of his black head. The cold yet pleasant feeling was all over his begrimed skin, as he began rubbing all the filth away, quietly savoring the sensation. He switched the bucket again and used the water to splash his body, sending all the grime off his body while sighing in contentment.

His hand had barely touched the bottle of shampoo when he heard the sound of door opening, than closing.

The shy boy gulped anxiously, his broad shoulder trembling almost involuntarily. His ears caught the sounds of steps, fast approaching to where he sat, getting louder and louder with every passing moment. Finally, the sound stopped, though it stopped right behind him.

"**R-relax, I bet that's just an illusion, a play of sounds…!"** he closed his eyes tight and took a very deep breath, trying desperately to assure that he was just hallucinating. **"There's no way, no FREAKING way, she'd show up in here…!"**

"Ne, Wataru…"

"**Shit, it speaks?! And the damn thing is calling my name…!"** he cried out inwardly, so frightened at how real his imagination was that it had affected his body to stand up almost in a bullet speed. **"Okay, this is all just an unreal thing going on in my brain! Take a deep breath, and turn around! All this hallucination will go 'poof!' and I'll be free from this madness!"**

He inhaled, first briefly. Second, deeply. Third, heavily. Once he had gathered enough courage to take even a dragon zombie, Wataru, immediately and abruptly, turned around in a speed so fast to regard his soon-to-disappear imagination with full force!

…Only to find that it was real… damn right, it was real.

The very next thing he saw and knew was that his sight became engulfed in a bright white light and red blood flared from his nostrils, before succumbing into the unconsciousness' realm.

•

There will be no omake this time, I think I have put enough jokes in the chapter itself. Now, why don't we translate the new Japanese sentences, eh? Let's see… Shira ha junsui sano shoku, Honoo Ryuu, Shiroi Honoo… 'White is the color of purity, Fire Style, White Flame'… yeah, that's the translation.

Hm, Hidan means fire bullet, and Utte means 'shoot'. Because Wataru is Japanese, it is only natural that I have to use the language for his techniques.

Care to review me again? Like always, I never ignore a reviewer, and your comments are the fuel that keeps me going! Less fuel, less faster I reach my destination, right?

Thank you for reading, and see you again!


	8. Chapter 8

**Galerians, in.**

Okay, I know just how long it has been since I last updated, but I've been pretty busy with my Indonesian fics (I'm sorry to say this, but they get more reviews than the English ones), but as I always said, I don't intend to abandon this story.

You might be already aware from the summary that I inserted lime in this chapter. Please, don't crush me, I don't quite understand myself. Half the way I believe I was writing fluff, but all of a sudden, it just changed into a lime! I didn't even realize it!

All of you must think, "This author is too screwed up…", or somewhere along that lines. If you do, then hear me out, I'm sorry! I also know that Setsuna is kinda OOC for the most part, I won't deny that…

Disclaimer: I don't have Negima, and let's just leave it at that.

•

**In The Grasp of Affection**

By the time his mind was already able to grasp conscience once again, Wataru had thought that all that happened to him were merely a dream, a mere production of exhausted slumber. He was sure, that when his bodily senses returned, he'd be able to feel the harsh texture of his surrounding, after all, he remembered fainting on the riverbed, and it full of hard stones. He'd sense, with his raw and cold skin, the sharp surface of rock and the fresh, if so chilling, night wind. The dampness of the air, the wetness of his clothes, the pain from lying too long on the rock floor, it'd all come to him when he truly woke up.

But reality was harsh, far harsher than he thought it would be. When he reckoned that he would be greeted with the harsh night wind and cold river stream, his face was introduced upon something so soft, he could never consider it as rock. Even if it was, this kind of rock would only exist in imaginary world only, a world full of delusion and hallucination, fitting for a dreamer child or those who wanted to escape reality. He moved a little, feeling the texture even more attentively, and this time he was dead convinced, this was no rock… this softness, this silkiness, it was skin!

He wanted to shot his eyes open, he freakin' really wanted to, but alas, he was too scared to do so. His senses were gradually getting stronger, and to his dread, the space he was in now didn't have even the slightest cold temperature, it was eerily warm (as he didn't want to know where he was), humid even. He should have awakened in a forest, and forest at night was no 'warm', then where the damned hell was he now?

"Are you awake, Wataru?"

Oh shit, the damn, poisoningly sweet voice. Instead of getting him comfortable, that voice triumphed over in making Wataru shudder even more, fearing the reality for all its luster and sparkle. He dared move his body not even an inch, a silent prayer for safety was swirling in his head like a twirl of storm. God, what would he not give to make this only a dream, no more and no less? He was even ready slit his throat just to get the hell out of this dragon's den, yet if this was really the place he feared to be, then his demand for a sharp thing would be denied, instantly and abruptly.

He dared a peek, a tremendously tiny one at that, but Wataru immediately shut his eyes as tight as he could be again. His fear was correct, for the moment his sight fell upon the outside world, he saw the maddening color of milky white from what he didn't have the courage to analyze further. Alas, when his nose began to work its magic, he couldn't pretend to not smell the sickly fragrant smell which he knew all too well. Heaven or Hell forbade, but how could he prevent that? His face was on it, for goodness' sake, he couldn't help but to feel the silky smooth surface or smell the seductive fragrance!

"Please…" he squawked in a frightened voice, manliness be damned. "Please, tell me this is all a dream. Or, if it isn't, I beg you, knock me out to blissful oblivion."

"Hey, what was that supposed to mean?" the voice, if still sweet, held a tone like the owner was sulking. "Is it not comfortable, lying on my lap?"

"Honestly, it's the opposite. But that's not the point here…!" he exclaimed, still keeping his eyes shut in an attempt to not accept the truth of his condition. "At one point, I thought I was having a quiet, comfortable bath. And why, just tell me why did you have to come in and ruin everything?"

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? I said I was going to join you, didn't I?" answered the female voice in a nonchalant melody. "I thought you already understand that, so I didn't hesitate."

"But that exactly what was wrong! How could you even think of joining a gentleman in his bath, without foreboding anything bad at all?"

"Why, because I know you will never do any harm to me," by the time she replied again, Wataru could feel a cold, thick viscosity liquid upon his head. He was considering it as harmful substance for first, but when he felt slender, pointy fingers began rubbing his scalp and hair and his nose smelled the aromatic scent, he quickly deduced it was just a shampoo. "Besides, boys usually don't clean their body quite thoroughly, and seeing the dirty mess you were in, I just can't help it, can I?"

"It itched you maternal instinct, isn't that what you meant?" Wataru asked in a rather cynical figure of speech, while his mind frantically searching for an escape possibility. He considered using Teleportation, but his technique was available only if he got a good look on his surroundings. To say that force was forbidden was an understatement, remembering that he could never hurt the girl who now continued her ministration without any embarrassment at all.

But the longer he felt her hands upon his hairs, the more flustered he became. The tension was beginning to build into a new height, and by the end if it all, his brain was already overheat too much that he could only pick the most radical action.

Without any word or warning at all, Wataru shot his eyes open in a manner that almost frightened his caretaker. All the muscles in his body reacted to their master's will, employing strength even if they were weakened from his unconsciousness before. Somehow, even if his weak body prevented, the young bodyguard abruptly fixed his position into a sitting, and by a single glance to his feature, it was apparent that he was aiming for a fleeing effort.

However, he never had the chance to get to his feet, because two arms suddenly snaked around his neck and pulled Wataru, who in such surprise had lost his balance. He collapsed backward, slightly bracing himself for the impending impact, but it never came. What he knew afterward was the presence of warmth that completely put him in awe, as he had never felt such warmth in so many years. He had long forgotten the sensation, and even though he wanted to so much, he could never bring himself to search for such pleasantness. After all, once, he had convinced himself, that a wretched figure such as him deserved no kindness, that he was only worthy of disdain, of loathe and hatred. But now, after such long time, he was able to experience the feeling he had tried to forget, and it was so strong that Wataru found himself indulging deeper.

Deep in his heart, concealed by his worldly facades, Wataru was actually hungry for attention, for affection. Despite his continuous attempt to hide from society, to run away from any potential relationship, beneath his mask of obedience and submission, the young bodyguard was screaming for someone to care for him. He wanted company for his lonely heart, he desired someone to be there whenever he needed one, he wished for someone who could actually love him…

He wasn't ready, and he had tried his hardest to prevent this turn of event, but again, he was powerless to change anything. And now, Wataru found himself in the embrace of the one he swore to protect… and also the one he had been tirelessly trying to get away from. His body leaned against her, he could feel the soft surface of the towel's fabric, though wet, that encircled her small frame. The moment his fall receded, Wataru's left cheek was already upon the smooth and damp skin of the girl's chest, feeling her warmth and remotely able to hear her heart's consecutive beats. Once again, he was greeted with the fragrance that was so different from soap or shampoo, so graceful as if it was the scent of an angel. For the first time in the course of his harsh and cruel life, Wataru wished that the moment would last forever.

"Setsuna-sama…" he whispered, unexpectedly inched closer till his face was completely upon her chest. "…Why must you do this to me…?"

"Do what…?" she asked in a tender voice, reaching the dark strands of hair and began running her right hand upon them affectionately. Her left hand reached for his face, without hesitating, she started caressing his cheeks.

"Why must you care for me so?" he asked, though muffled and stifled, it wasn't able to hide the sadness and agony… the longing and craving. "Can't you just leave me alone, back to my lonely existence? I said it before and I'll say it again, I don't deserve your kindness…"

"You might not deserve it, but you earned it," she answered, pulling his head deeper into the clutches of her pointy fingers, into the warm embrace of her arms. "Do not ask me why, because I'm not quite sure myself. But at the very least, I can say this without any hesitation… I just can't leave you alone. I never can, and never will."

"But I…"

"Do I always have to tell you not to argue with me?" said Setsuna with a sigh of exasperation, but her smile was a hearty one. "Now, straighten yourself. I have yet to finish bathing you."

•••

"Does it fit?"

"Yes, it does," he answered, moving his body to ensure that his clothes weren't too tight. "It's strange, though. Even though I know males also wear hakama, I can't help but feel like a miko wearing this."

"Why? You look cool…!"

"This has got nothing to do with coolness or anything," Wataru answered with a wry smile. "And to see that it fits almost perfectly, how could you choose it so well?"

"Just from a little observation…!" she answered cheerfully while sticking her tongue out. "And it wasn't that hard. You might be muscular and all, but you're so skinny that I didn't have much problem guessing your size."

That instant, Wataru involuntarily shuddered when Setsuna shot him with a glare.

"Speaking about that, why are you so skinny again?" she questioned in a sickeningly sweet smile, yet her aura resembled a demon as dark shades fell upon her lovely face.

"E-eh, um. I don't get much chance to eat, to be honest," he replied while gulping down his fear, though failing horribly. "There were so many attacks lately, and when I recovered from one battle, another already waited! I couldn't help it, I was just unable to find the time!"

"Tomorrow morning, then," she announced with finality. "I'll make sure you're stuffed to your cheeks."

"…Gh," he grunted with twitching eyes, but sighed in defeat not a moment later. "Fine, now let's get some sleep, okay?"

He walked to the futon and pulled the cover, cocking his head slightly to the feather mattress to imply she should lie down first. However, when she rested her head on the pillow, she couldn't help but to frown as Wataru pulled the blanket without getting himself tucked in, making sure that it covered Setsuna's entire body.

"Well then, good night, Setsuna-sama." Wataru raised himself up, and started to walk to the opposite side of the room.

"W-wait, where are you going, Wataru?"

"Me? I'm going to keep a watch outside, I'll make sure your sleep is without disturbance whatsoever."

"B-but, I want you to sleep with me!"

There was a moment of dead silence between them, broken only by the sound of cricket or buzzing of night's bugs. Wataru's eyes were wide open, staring disbelievingly at the girl as if she had transformed into a hideous substance. His jaw hung around the vicinity of the floor, his face was the true portrait of shock, as crimson blood began pooling in his cheeks and burned his face bright with red.

"C-come again?"

For Setsuna, this was the point of no return, she literally know that, "I want you to sleep here, beside me."

Wataru gulped down, hard. His mind was practically a blank space as of now, his brain couldn't even form any coherent thought. Here he was, completely alone with a lovely girl who had a super gorgeous black hair and, if petite, beautiful frame. What was once a blank chamber, now transformed into a bullet train, with many imaginations and fantasies flashing around like a wave of storm. By the time his mind finally caught up with his thought, and he was able to grasp what little left from his sanity back, the young bodyguard realized that his face was pouring out steam, if that was even possible.

As a mean to run away, he lifted both hand to block his ear, shutting his eyes tight as he turned around.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that!" he croaked in a hoarse voice, almost too uncharacteristically loud. "May you sleep well, Setsuna-sama!"

"W-wait! If you leave, I won't sleep the whole night!" she exclaimed, desperate to get him yielding. "I-I'll become sick, and it will be all your fault! So please…!"

"Setsuna-sama, c'mon! This entire night you've been torturing me, but this is simply a murder! Do you so wish for me to die?"

"What'd make you die from sleeping here with me?"

"Need I remind you, I AM a healthy young man with a straight interest! Do you even know what this request might lead to? If that happens, I might as well kill myself!"

"I-I'm fully aware, so please…" she held her hands outward in an inviting manner, her face flushed and her eyes melancholic, like a child wanting attention. "Come…"

Wataru was speechless, his mouth opening and closing much like a breathing fish. He shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again to look at Setsuna. At night, with that miko attires and her hair let down, she looked plain pretty, making his self control gone awry even more. He knew so well what this action might cause him, but her pleading eyes were just too unbearable to refuse. Before he knew it, he was already walking towards the futon, still with his eyes tightly shut.

He took one of Setsuna's waiting hands before slipping under the blanket, but still in sitting position, and opened his eyes. Golden shine glowed in the darkness, so vivid as if he was piercing right through the black orbs of Setsuna. For about a minute, they were only staring at each other, both of them not knowing at what to do at this point. Wataru was the one who broke the silence, pulling Setsuna's close to his chest with a silent mouth. She didn't let out any word at this point, having no experience whatsoever herself, though she did exhale a fistful of air when her face came into contact with his sturdy muscles. She eased her body into his embrace, feeling the warmth and securing sensation she could only get from the bodyguard by slinked her arms around his skinny body.

And then it hit her, she had definitely felt this once before.

"Wataru…" she whispered to his chest, muffled but not necessarily inaudible. "Do you remember the first day you came here?"

"Um, yes. Why?"

"The night I was resting in the infirmary, when I had a nightmare. Was it you who held my hand?"

"…Yes, it was me." He suddenly jolted. "A-ah, was I being rude to you? I'm sorry, it just… you looked so troubled."

"It's not that…" now, she gained even more reasons to bury her face deeper into his warm body. "I just think… that no one has ever made me feel so secured before. Like this moment, it's as if you were able to shield me from any harm."

"You're flattering me too much," said Wataru as his other hand began stroking Setsuna's black strands, feeling the silkiness of her hairs. "I'm not that great."

"That depends…" she broke the hug, staring upward right to his eyes. "…On how you treat me now."

She closed her eyes and waited. While the girl braced herself for what was coming, Wataru could only gulp again, feeling his heart's pounding rate went through the shrine roof. He was sixteen, close to seventeen, but in reality, his mind and experience was nowhere near the adult. Yes, he might have the maturity most males had, but then again, he lived in a mountain, far from the society. He only learned what he needed, and even though it was many, managing a relationship with a girl was none of them. Now, he was faced with a girl who now had entrusted herself to his care, but what the hell he was supposed to do if he had no experience over it?

"**Okay, be calm, let your instinct guide you…"** he mused in a desperate attempt to get moving. **"Just don't do anything that will embarrass yourself in front of her."**

He started by reaching a hand upon her back, tenderly running it till it arrived on her waist. Using the back of his fingers, Wataru tenderly caressed her blushing cheeks, as if trying to sweep the red color away. She let out a shuddering, yet satisfied, breath at the warmth of Wataru's hand, her lips parted slightly when he took her chin within his grasp. In a gentle, feathery touch, Setsuna finally knew the taste of Wataru's lips.

She arched her back with an almost inaudible moan into his mouth, feeling the hand in her hips gaining tightness in its grip. In a heartbeat, she felt the jerk, and now her body was completely leaning against Wataru's chest. She lifted both arms, encircling them around his neck in genuine affection, as their kiss gaining depth by the tick-tock of clock. She reluctantly broke their lips lock when her lungs finally failing, but the eagerness in her heart won as she once again crashed their mouth as if she could never get enough of his taste.

After he made the first action, it all came to him just so naturally he didn't even know how to start explaining. It was like a knowledge that he had all along inside his brain, but locked up in a place as long the seal wasn't present, and if that was true, then Setsuna would be the grand key. In one moment, he wasn't able to comprehend what kind of force that moved his hands, but when she let out that moan, the one of a kind that completely numbed his whole body like an aphrodisiac; he decided that contemplating such things would be useless by now.

The sensation was quite foreign, if not alien, for the boy. He never knew that he had the ability in him, but at the very least, he could say with confidence that this activity was enjoyable in every second it took. When Setsuna's arms took hold of his neck, so tight he almost thought a padlock was the thing keeping them attached, Wataru eased both his palms upon her constantly arching back, and grandly let them did their magic.

Even without any experience, Wataru was still helluva one of a ministration executor. By the time his caressing fingers went up her spine, Setsuna could feel the tension rose all of a sudden, making the girl broke her kiss and let out a loud moan into the air. Even though her lips was a comfortable and pleasant cage for his mouth, finally being freed from it enabled Wataru to take things further, as he craned his head and kissed the base of her neck. Setsuna's hands kept getting more active role, and by the time the boy's lips touched her sweating skin, she abruptly and unconsciously grabbed a hold of his head as she began squeezing it fervently, as if she was trying to pull all of his hair off their respectful places.

Neither of them realized the roar of thunder outside, as they continued their little physical interaction, blissfully unaware of the rapid pouring that surrounded the shrine they were in. Even more especially so when Wataru finally gathered enough courage to move the girl gently until she was on her back, lying in waiting on the white futon. He took a moment to examine the state she was in, her blushing face, her sprawled black hair, her drowsy yet seductive eyes, her wet parted lips, her damp skin… all of the beautiful features he could find on the woman. He still couldn't completely stop thinking about what kind of thing brought him into this turn of event? What kind of dream did he have yesterday to find himself in the flow of this activity now?

**Ehh, what am I talking about? I didn't even have any sleep for three days straight! And I didn't get any dream while unconscious!**

"Wataru…" she said in her entrancing voice, a little impatience shown in it, snapping him out of his own little world. Wataru went completely rigid when she reached out his cheeks with her small hands, and began to pull him down. "Don't make a lady wait…"

"D-don't you think this is the right time to stop…?" he asked in an unsure tone, yet he felt the reluctance building in his heart, and he knew the next step to be taken would really be the point of no return. "I-I mean…"

"It's okay…" she put more pressure on him, clearly intending to tug him all the way down. "I'm okay with it as long it's with you…"

"Can we put MY feeling into consideration too? Because, honestly, I think this is going much too~ far…"

"…Do you refuse me?"

"I don't, and I never will. But, as a matter of fact, this situation is clearly going intemperate in just a little more push, don't you think? At least, I think it is I won't be able to hold back."

"Then don't, just do it like everybody does…"

"Um, that's a problem too, because honestly, I never had anything this before in my years. My life is secluded, you see, and I don't think I have that kind of grace in me. What if I disappoint you?"

"Then I'll bear it…!" she exclaimed in a desperate attempt to get him to start doing what he was supposed to do, but his immense strength wasn't something she could compete with. Heck, she wasn't even able to move his head by an inch, let alone enclosing their distance. "Come on, I can't wait any longer…"

Her fallen form like this somehow incited his passion, and her melancholic eyes looked so beautiful he found himself unable to look away. Instead of the strength of her hands, it was the inviting gleam from her features that finally swayed the last defense of Wataru and successfully pulled him down.

One thing about undressing a person with hakama, was that you had to start from the top. Wataru started slowly, grabbing the hem of her upper clothes but letting his hands rest there for a moment. Setsuna felt ceremoniously vulnerable when he began tugging them down, exposing her milky white skin and slender shoulder into the cold air. However, Wataru made up for this by leaning down her frail form, and touched her neck with his lips again, filling up her senses with his body temperature.

She trembled upon contact, eliciting a moan when her skin detected the movement of his warm tongue. She involuntarily squirmed at the sheer sensation, a quick and surprised gasp went out of her mouth when she felt the presence of pain on the base of her neck. It took Setsuna a fair moment to realize that Wataru had bitten her, but instead of getting uncomfortable, this truly aroused her as she snaked both hands to his head and began tugging at his hair again. Despite the pain, she was completely at bliss and comfort by this point, even though every now and then, her body tensed up a bit whenever Wataru's mouth touched the sensitive part of her body.

The immensity of this relaxing feeling was enormous… and overwhelming. She could feel her whole body went limp in his care, and even though she was feeling aroused, something behind her eyes just kept building and building, making her eyes heavier and heavier. Her eyelids were now closed, and instead of getting raspy, her breath had lost their previous frequency and fervency.

Wataru knew something was up when he felt the squeezing on his head died down, compelling the young bodyguard to stop whatever he was doing to take a closer look upon his situation. To say he was surprised when finding an almost inaudible purr from the swordswoman was clearly an understatement, the steady breathing and the loss of strength were definitely evidences that despite all the things she had said back there, the girl was now asleep. Wataru still stared at her for a few moments, silently hoping she'd wake up so they could continue where they had left off, but unfortunately, this was not to be.

He sighed in exasperation, feeling dejected and thankful altogether at the exact same time. Dejected for not being able to finish what he was doing, but thankful because fate hadn't let him to continue, he wasn't sure if he could stop himself should she still awake.

His hands reached out to fix her clothes, any by the time it was done, he considered leaving from under the cover so he could do what he had intended to do: keeping a night watch. However, he wasn't allowed to do so as two hands, again, took hold of his neck and seemingly refused to let go. He looked at the young girl's face, seeing her smiling in content and peace, and it was the driving force that made him cancel his plan. When he finally rested his head on the pillow, she immediately snuggled up closer until her face was in the vicinity of his neck. He almost chuckled at how much she looked like a spoiled little girl, but hindered himself because it'd wake the girl from her tranquility.

He allowed himself one final glance upon Setsuna's lovely face as he put his hands on her back and pulled the girl deeper into his embrace. If there was any trace of loneliness left in his heart, then he'd not be able to notice it any longer. He put his train of thoughts into a stop, and closed his eyes.

After all, what could be more peaceful than sleeping in the arms of the beloved one?

•

You all know this, but I might as well say it again, I'm a messed up author. Since I do it with instinct, I tend to ignore what I'm writing until it's done. As you all can see, this chapter is very, very bad, I don't even think it has the coherency. I don't regret writing it however, as it seemed to take a load off my chest. Then again, I really wish I was able to make it better…

Thank you for reading.

**Galerians, out.**


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